If you are working on eating a more healthy diet then you know that the good cholesterol in peanuts is not a problem for a person who is eating a balanced diet. For parents of busy toddlers and teenagers who do not always take or have the time to eat balanced meals, the cholesterol in peanuts comes with high amounts of proteins and other important nutrients. Especially if you are feeding your children real peanut butter that does not include sugars, salts, or other necessary ingredients, parents know that this is a quick source of protein that can be as tasty in the kitchen as it is on the road.
Peanut calories provide the kind of nutrition that allows you to enjoy these high protein snacks at any time of the day. In the morning for breakfast, at noon for lunch, in the evening for diner, and late at night as a snack before bed, there are many families who purchase peanuts and peanut butter in bulk so that it is always available.
Summer Snack Options Do Not Have to be Unhealthy
Instead of filling a grocery cart with unhealthy snacks when you are at the store, it is important, especially during the summer, to make sure that you find the healthiest of items. From fresh fruit and vegetables to wholesome peanut butter, what you buy at the store will directly impact what your family will snack on during the long days of summer.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the nutritional value of peanuts and the impact that they have not only in the food that parents make for their children, but also on the nation’s economy:
- It takes 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter, according to reports from the National Peanut Board.
- More than 98% of U.S. children can safely enjoy peanuts and foods containing peanuts, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
- Runners, Virginias, Spanish, and Valencias are the four basic types of peanuts.
- The average American eats more than six pounds of peanut products every year.
- For peanut butter to be labeled as such, it has to contain at least 90% peanuts, according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.
- Today’s peanut is 99.9% identical to its ancestors, because there are no GMO peanuts on the market.
No one should be worried about the good cholesterol in peanuts if they are eating a well balanced diet. In fact, finding foods that contain both good cholesterol and protein means that you may have found the perfect source of energy for your toddlers and teenagers on these long summer days.