People who travel the path of fitness like to add healthy and tasty foods to their diets. Foods like legumes, nuts, greens, etc. In that order, Peanut, also called groundnut, is a legume that is filled with rich nutrients. So let’s see how to grow peanuts and their medicinal benefits of it Groundnut is a legume that belongs to the family of peas, and it originated in South America and was used 3500 years ago. They are rich in protein and fiber and grow well in warmer places and in the soil, which is slightly acidic. They grow 1-2 feet tall and 2 feet wide, and it requires direct sunlight for at least 6 to 8 hours. Cultivators should plant the seeds after the late frost because the peanuts are susceptible to frost. So a place that has less winter and more summer is a place to grow peanuts. The peanut is the only legume that grows under the ground, and this process is called geocarpy. After the pollination and flowering, the root develops a structure called a peg that grows on the root. This also acts like roots by absorbing nutrients. To grow a peanut from seed, we need to follow the upcoming steps:

● First, we need fresh peanuts or seeds from the nursery for the plantation. Remove the seeds from the shell and sow them on the ground carefully.
● Sow them 4 to 6 inches apart and 2 inches deep on the ground. After sowing the seed, make sure to keep the soil moisturized for the seeds to undergo germination. By doing this, we can expect the seed to germinate in 10 to 15 days.
● After the seedling grew well, thin them. When the seedling grows over 1 foot, add support to the plant by adding mulch around the stem and preventing them from weeds.
● When the flower and the leaves of the plant fade, check the root for harvesting. Pull or dig the plant and handle them carefully.
● After harvesting, place them in a warm place and leave them for two weeks for a curing period. Remove the peanuts from the plant and leave them for another weak for curing.
By following these steps, we can able to obtain sweet and delicious peanuts.

Uses and Medicinal Benefits of Peanuts

Peanuts are sweet, and healthy legumes grow underground in the soil. It is used in many ways. Let’s see some of the benefits of peanuts.
● A peanut contains many nutrients like proteins, carbs, fiber, fat, mono, saturated fats, etc.
● Peanuts are very rich in plant-based protein content in them.
● It is low in carbs and low in glycemic index.
● Peanuts contain many vitamins and minerals that help in various types, like Magnesium whichhelps fight heart diseases.
● Many antioxidants like coumaric acid, resveratrol, and isoflavones in peanuts help in many ways.

● By consuming peanuts, people can expect weight loss. Many research on people who added peanuts to their diet had lost 3kg of weight. The monounsaturated fat in peanuts may help in calorie burning.
● Adding peanut to the diet may help in gallstone prevention in men and women.
● Pregnant women can have little peanut because of the presence of biotin, which can help in biotin deficiency.

These are some of the health benefits that a peanut consist. But a peanut can also be a health hazard for some people because of allergies. Peanut consist of antinutrients which reduce the absorption of nutrients in our food. This doesn’t concern more people, but it may affect some people who follow a diet of legumes and grains. Sometimes peanut can be affected by mold, which causes aflatoxin.

This aflatoxin poisoning results in loss of appetite, jaundice, and liver problems too. This may also lead to liver failure or liver cancer. And the most important disadvantage of peanut is peanut allergy which affects some people worldwide. Some of the allergic reactions to peanut are swelling, redness, itching, digestive problems, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea.

So people who are trying peanut for the first time should consult their doctor’s advice. So let’s have healthy and tasty peanut in our diets and stay healthy.

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