Recently, I did an article about “The 4 Primary Ways To Build Muscle” … which was about building muscle, getting stronger, and also losing fat.
In that article, I explained what to eat and I quickly mentioned how you should NOT eat peanuts.
Well, I got lots of questions in 2024 as to why this is and how can peanuts be bad for you, since they have good fat, lots of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
And this is a fair question and let me answer it quickly.
To begin with, peanuts are not “nuts”, they are legumes and thus, part of the “bean” family. Most people don’t know this.
As to why you should avoid peanuts, there are a few important reasons.
Allergies
To begin with, some people are deathly allergic to peanuts. For a small percentage of the population, peanuts can literally kill them.
Of course, the majority of people aren’t AS allergic to peanuts, but if you ate enough of them, long enough, the allergens start to build up, and you WILL have allergic reactions, even if they are mild and subtle.
It won’t kill you, but it won’t improve your health either.
Macro-Nutrients
The next thing is that people will say that peanuts are a healthy food because it has carbs, proteins, and fats. But the protein doesn’t contain all the essential amino acids.
The next problem is the fat content – it’s fairly high in Omega 6 fats and linoleic acid. Omega 6 fats cause inflammation and health problems
They also compete with the healthy, omega-3 fats – which is NOT what you want.
Aflatoxins
Most people don’t know, but peanuts actually grow underground, where they tend to be colonized by a fungus called Aspergillus, a source of aflatoxins... which are toxic and highly carcinogenic.
Humans are actually fairly resistant to the acute (short-term) effects of aflatoxins but unfortunately continued exposure does cause a buildup. Additionally, the fungus grows on its own and thus, even if you stop eating peanuts the fungus continues to grow inside of you and over time becomes toxic.
Studies in humans link aflatoxin exposure to liver cancer, stunted growth in children, and mental retardation.
This is very important for all your parents giving your kids peanut butter daily. I suggest you STOP!
High In Lectins
Peanuts are also high in Lectins, which is bad for your health — again, causing all the typical health problems, inflammation, weight gain, memory problems, joint pain, etc., etc.
Healthy Alternatives
Peanuts and nuts taste yummy, there’s no denying that. Especially when roasted and lightly salted.
And in small amounts, eaten occasionally – they should be fine for most people.
However, I suggest you switch to other nuts, especially if you are giving your kids peanut butter. Instead, eat:
- Almond butter
- Walnut butter
- Hazelnut butter
These are much healthier nuts and still taste great.