I like to snack on dry roasted peanuts. Are they fattening?

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I like to snack on dry roasted peanuts. I only eat a handful at a time. Are they really fattening? I thought peanuts were a good source of protein.

I’ve been asked your question frequently. So out of curiosity, I poured several handfuls of dry roasted peanuts. The average number of peanuts was 40 (1/4 cup) and I have small hands!

Every 10 whole dry roasted peanuts have 45 calories, five grams of fat and two grams of protein. So every handful of peanuts you eat has 180 calories, 20 grams of fat and eight grams of protein. This would be equal to four pats of butter and one ounce of meat. However, peanuts are lacking in three essential amino acids and therefore, not a complete source of protein like meat.

Remember that any food eaten to excess can be stored by your body as fat. Protein foods like meat can be stored as fat as well. The fattening effect of food is reflected in increases in your body weight. Your body weight can fluctuate about three pounds with changes in water levels in your body. Pay attention to any weight increase over five pounds and start reducing your daily food intake by 500 calories per day until your weight stabilizes at your normal body weight.

Dry roasted peanuts also contain significant amounts of sodium in the form of added salt. There are several brands of reduced sodium peanuts available. Try them to reduce your salt intake.