Eating Peanuts For Type II diabetes

I mentioned in another recent post that variety is the spice of life. This also applies to eating a variety of nuts for their healthful benefits. This post will examine the lowly peanut. First of all it is not really a nut. They are from the legume family and are related to peas, lentils, chick peas and other beans. 1/4 cup of peanuts delivers about 200 calories and in the process provides the following nutrients:

manganese, trytpophan, vitamin B3 (niacin), folate, cooper, and are a source of protein. They are also a good source of monounsaturated fats recognized for their value in the Mediterranean diet. They also contain resveratrol  which is an antioxidant found in red wine and red grapes. They also contain high amounts of poly phenols which is another antioxidant. If eating peanut butter, try for the organic brands containing peanuts, salt and nothing else - AVOID anything with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in it.

Peanuts have been shown to have a LOW glycemic index which is valuable for Type II diabetics and also for their cholesterol lowering capabilities. The glycemic index is a scale that rates foods from 1 to 100 with food listed below 55 as much better for diabetics. A 1/3 cup of peanuts have a glycemic index of only 14 compared to a typical snack sized bag of pretzels containing a GI of 83. The lower the glycemic index, the less your blood glucose levels are going to spike. Your body simply digests the sugar in peanuts more slowly than it does a bag of pretzels. The bag of pretzels also likely contains hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils and very little nutrition compared to the peanuts.

 NOTE: If you have an allergy to peanuts, of course you will not be able to add these to your diet.

Allergy symptoms include shortness of breath, or wheezing, runny nose, tightening of the chest, digestive problems such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting, itching or tingling around the nose, mouth or throat, and skin reactions such as hives,redness or swelling. Eating peanuts may also result in anaphylexis which is a condition requiring emergency treatment. If in doubt, have allergy tests done before eating any peanuts.

Dan

Psalm 107:20 "He sent forth His word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave"