How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

If you've ever tasted peanut butter and chocolate together, you know why the "amazing aroma of peanuts is addictive," says one student. John, our founder, had a client who loved peanuts so much she consumed a jar of peanut butter every evening.



Americans consume more than $2billion worth of peanuts per year. Peanuts, and in particular peanut butter, have had a resurgence in popularity thanks to their rich protein, fats and fiber content - which are altogether nourishing, satisfying and decadent. One of our students noted peanut's building quality, noting that after eating peanuts, the "strength of my muscles made me feel confident."

No longer just a feature of childrens' snack plates, we're now seeing peanut blends crop up in oatmeal, smoothies, desserts and salad dressings. Thai peanut sauce blends peanuts with coconut and fish sauce.

Peanuts certainly taste delicious and satisfy the stomach but are they good for us? They have been banned from most school lunches because so many children experience an allergic reaction to peanuts. Can Ayurveda shed any light on why this is such a common allergen? This is something we will explore in this article.

Also known as groundnut, monkey nut, earthnut, goober peas or pignut, in truth, they are actually a legume and a relative of beans, soy and, the Ayurvedic staple, lentils. The reason we know them as nuts is all down to marketing. Humans have a long history of eating nuts. Nuts were the primary source of fats and proteins prior to the agricultural revolution. So marketing beans as nuts is a profitable renaming.



However, even as a legume peanuts are unusual because they grow underground in pods, rather than above ground. After being harvested in Autumn, they are left to dry in their field for a few days before being separated from their vines. Once separated, they are dried in 'drying wagons' by having warm air blasted through.

Due to their popularity, peanuts have strong cultural and nostalgic significance. Jimmy Carter, US President from 1977-1981, was famous for his love of peanuts. So much so that he actually owned a peanut farm! Charlie Brown is the star of the popular animated series 'Peanuts', that launched in the 1950's and remained in print until 2000.

Many of us will have personal associations with peanuts as features of our childhood. One student remembered, "eating them with my grandpa before he died when I was 6; that's one of my earliest memories."

The botanical name for peanuts is arachis hypogaea and they originated in South America. They were domesticated as a hybrid between two wild species over 7,600 years ago. Today, they are grown globally, in tropical and subtropical locations like the southern USA.

Ayurveda refers to peanuts as kalaya. Written in the 14th century about the Ayurvedic approach to eating for optimal health, the Ayurveda Mahodhadhi lists peanuts alongside sesame, grams, peas and barley. Students from our Mastering Ayurvedic Digestion and Nutrition programme found that peanuts are a nourishing, difficult to digest legume that irritates the liver and increases anxiety.

Footnote: The information for this article was in part gathered from a 2020 study and survey of 35 students of Ayurveda who experimented with peanuts. During the study, students ate peanuts for 3 days and journaled the pharmacological effects. This study was sponsored by the Joyful Belly School of Ayurveda, and specifically the Mastering Ayurvedic Digestion & Nutrition certification course.

Ayurveda sees peanuts as being a difficult, drying and heavy food which increases heat in the body. They are nutritious and can act as a high fiber laxative. However, being both rajasic and tamasic, peanuts can increase nervous energy or make a person feel sleepy, depending on their constitution and digestive fire (agni).

Peanuts are Oily, Sticky

Peanut butter is smooth and creamy which indicates the presence of oil. While for some this oily quality (snigdha) is satisfying, other students found it a bit sickening, "My mouth feels rather oily, like a greasy pot. I can feel the grease in my throat and it is nauseating."

Peanuts are high in fat and calories, about 570 calories per 100g, but several studies have shown that peanuts do not cause weight gain. More research is needed on this to pinpoint exactly why this is but it could be because peanuts are so heavy and slow to digest. Our students noticed this quality helps them feel satisfied for longer and, so, ate less food.

Peanuts contain high amounts of protein, 26g per 100g, which may increase the amount of calories burned per day. This is due, in part, to proteins' high thermic effect which boosts metabolism. Studies have shown that this can range from 80-100 calories per day, and sometimes more.

Peanuts also deliver significant amounts of dietary fiber, with 100g giving up to ? of a male's recommended intake, and 1/3 of a females. Fiber is shown to promote weight loss by reducing the appetite because it makes us feel fuller for longer. At Joyful Belly we often recommend beans like lentils and chickpeas for weight loss for this very reason.

Some other interesting benefits of peanuts is that they may reduce heart disease. This is because they reduce a main risk factor, high blood pressure. Their high levels of essential nutrients such as manganese, niacin and copper contribute to this action. Animal studies have also shown that unsaturated fats, like those in peanuts, may reduce the development of gallstones.