Health benefits of peanuts include lots of calories, boosts metabolism, rich in rare nutrients, fibrous, protein and prevents obesity in kids are some of the  your child’s diet.

Getting your child to eat healthy food can be a real challenge for any mother as kids have this notion that healthy food is not tasty. This notion arises from what they observe in their elders. But there is something that meets the ‘trifecta’ of nutrition,that is, peanuts. Peanuts have high nutritional value, affordable range and tastes delicious. In every form, peanuts provide a variety of health benefits. They are a great source of energy, contain vitamins such as vitamin E and niacin, manganese, fibre and protein. So, a small amount of peanut daily can quench the nutritional needs of your body to a great extent.

Early on, peanut was considered to be unsafe for the diet of kids due to the threat of peanut allergy. Fortunately, the new health guidelines released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases suggests the early introduction of peanut in the child’s diet. It is suggested in the new guidelines that peanut extracts or peanut powder can be given to kids even before six months of age in pureed form or mixed with finger foods.

Amazing Health Benefits of Peanuts in Your Child’s Diet

You will be glad to know that the tasty peanut recipes you cook can be really beneficial for your child. Here are some benefits of peanuts:

Rich in calories

Peanuts are rich in calories. Around 28 gm of peanuts contains around 166 calories which is a great energy supplement for kids. This calories is equal to that of pretzels and jelly beans but peanuts have other nutrients in greater amount which makes it a better option.

Boosts metabolism

Peanuts provides some key nutrients which can help us to keep your kid’s metabolism at its best. Children who eat peanuts regularly are likely to have lower body weights and low body mass index.

Rich in rare nutrients

Peanuts contain the rare of the rarest nutrients such as resveratrol. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring stilbene that has potentially powerful antioxidant activity. Niacin, Vitamin E, thiamin, folate, manganese, phosphorus,and magnesium are the vitamins and minerals present in peanuts. p-Coumaric acid, Isoflavones, Phytic acid and Phytosterols are also some essential plant based compounds present in

Fibrous

Every 100 gm of peanut contains 9 gm of dietary fibres. Fiber not only helps to ease constipation and prevent storage of extra fat, it also controls cholesterol and insulin level in the body.

Protein

Peanuts are a rich plant-based source of peanuts. Arachin and conarachin are the forms of protein peanuts. Every 100 gm of peanuts contains 25.8 gm of protein. Protein plays an important role in body- building so they are extremely essential for kids.

Prevents obesity in kids

Obesity has turned out to be one of the major issues in children these days. Peanuts are very filling and thus they can act as an excellent part of your kid’s weight- loss diet as they will reduce the intake of extra amount of food. Thus, avoiding

Risks related to peanuts

Peanut allergy has been a problem that restricted parents from introducing their children to this very beneficial food. But, the new guidelines by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have found a solution to this problem. They suggest that if peanut is incorporated into the diet of the child at an early age he is unlikely to be prone to any kind of peanut allergy. They have classified infants into three groups:

• Infants who have severe egg allergy or eczema are at a high risk to develop peanut allergy. Such children should be given peanut in various forms by the age of 4 to 6 months after consulting with the health care provider. In case the child has some peanut sensitivity in the blood or the the skin he should be given peanut supplement under the supervision of the doctor. If the test result indicate strong reaction to peanut the doctor may ask you to avoid adding peanut to your child’s diet
• Infants who have mild eczema are allowed to have peanut into their diet by 6 months of age. Your child does not need to undergo any kind of tests before taking the first few bites of peanut. In case any adverse symptoms arise you should consult your doctor.
• Children who have no trace of eczema in their body are safe from developing peanut allergy. But in order to avoid any issues later on it’s better to start eating peanuts at an early age.

So, regular exposure is the key to prevention of allergy caused by peanuts in children.

Introducing peanuts in the child’s diet

The baby needs nutrition even before it is born so the diet taken by the mother during her pregnancy influences the health of the baby to a great extent. This is why pregnant women are recommended to take a nutrient rich diet. Peanuts are no doubt a great source of almost all the nutrients required by women during pregnancy. Thus, peanuts should be introduced in the mother’s diet so that the child may get its benefits even before birth.

After birth, doctors recommend that peanuts should be included in the child’s diet once he is 4 months of age. However, they should not be given to babies as a whole as it can pave risks of choking, so peanut should be given in form of paste or powder. You can either mix peanut powder with the breast milk or formula; mash a banana along with peanut powder and give it to your little one; peanut powder mixed in water, yogurt or smoothie can also be given; peanut oil and peanut butter are also a supplement of peanut which are extremely beneficial for children.

Nutritional content of peanuts

Peanuts have more than 30 essential nutrients and vitamins which makes it a superfood. It also acts as a vehicle for other food items such as fruits and vegetables as children may not like them but they will love eating them with a peanut butter dip. Here is a small chart to illustrate the nutritional value of peanut.

Conclusion

So, peanut are not just tasty they are healthy as well. They are rich in nutrients and highly beneficial for kids. A risk of developing peanut allergy is always prevalent so you should check with the doctor before including peanuts in your child’s diet. Happy parenting!

References

https://www.crazyrichards.com/pb-love/benefits-of-peanut-powderintroducing-your-baby-to-peanuts/

http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/wellness/kids-health.htm