Peanuts are no strangers to us—we often buy them as snacks. But do you know their nutritional value? Why do elders soak peanuts in vinegar? How is this vinegar-soaked peanut recipe made? Let's explore with us.
Nutritional Value of Peanuts
1.Lowering Cholesterol: Peanuts are sweet and neutral in nature, aiding spleen and stomach function, moistening lungs to resolve phlegm, boosting qi, and stopping bleeding. They address spleen deficiency with emaciation, poor appetite and fatigue, dry cough with scant phlegm, and insufficient postpartum lactation. Their fats help break down liver cholesterol into bile acids for excretion, thereby reducing blood cholesterol levels and preventing atherosclerosis.>>>Regular consumption of peanuts replenishes qi, moistens lungs, and promotes excretion
2. Peanuts warm the stomach: To address stomach pain common after frost, consciously choose stomach-warming foods like peanuts, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to nourish and warm the stomach.
3. Slows aging: Peanuts' high protein and amino acid content enhances memory and delays aging. Their vitamin E slows tissue aging and boosts liver detoxification.
4. Strong hematopoietic function: Peanuts stop bleeding and increase platelets. The red skin is 50 times more potent than the kernel itself, so eat peanuts with their skins intact.Nutritionists note: Peanuts offer significant health benefits! Therefore, we can occasionally enjoy peanuts, but moderation is key—excessive consumption may elevate cholesterol levels. >>> Who Should Avoid Peanuts?
Nutrient-rich and affordable, peanuts are an excellent health food.Scientific research indicates peanuts contain abundant phytosterols, highly beneficial for human health. Particularly, β-sitosterol helps prevent colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Further studies by American scientists reveal peanuts also contain "resveratrol." This compound possesses potent bioactivity, not only combating cancer but also inhibiting platelet aggregation to prevent myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction.Every 100 grams of peanuts also contains 8.48 milligrams of zinc, which boosts immune function and delays aging. Thus, peanuts are hailed as the "fruit of longevity."
However, peanuts are among the crops most susceptible to aflatoxin contamination. Research by Professor Li Peiwu, a doctoral advisor at the Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, indicates that peanuts can be infected with aflatoxins throughout their entire growth cycle, including while growing in the field.After harvest, peanuts become even more susceptible to aflatoxin contamination due to temperature, humidity, and storage conditions. During its reproduction and metabolism, Aspergillus flavus produces large amounts of toxins (primarily aflatoxin B1), contaminating peanuts and their products. It has been confirmed that this toxin can be present in improperly stored peanuts, peanut oil, peanut beverages, and peanut butter.
Scientists worldwide recognize aflatoxins as the most potent carcinogens discovered to date, particularly aflatoxin B1, whose toxicity is 10 times that of potassium cyanide and 68 times that of arsenic trioxide.Its physicochemical properties are highly stable, making it non-degradable in the human body and causing it to accumulate in liver cells. When aflatoxin levels exceed the body's tolerance threshold, it leads to liver damage, inflammatory changes, and may even induce liver cancer.