• A peanut is not actually a nut! It is a pulse and belongs in the legume family along with peas, beans & lentils
  
  
• Peanuts grow under the ground, not on trees.
  
  
• Peanuts, peanut butter and peanut oil are excellent sources of heart-healthy, unsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil: more than 75% of the total fat content is unsaturated
  
  
• Peanuts are 25% protein, with high levels of the amino acid arginine
  
  
• Peanuts contain resveratrol (also found in red wine), plant sterols and other phytochemicals which research is indicating have cardio-protective and cancer inhibiting properties
  
  
• Peanuts and peanut butter contain "hard to get" minerals such as zinc, magnesium, copper and selenium
  
  
• Peanuts and peanut butter contain B-vitamins, folate and Vitamin E
  
  
• Peanuts and peanut butter are natural sources of soluble and insoluble fibre (non-starch polysaccharides)
  
  
• Peanuts and peanut butter are plant foods and contain no cholesterol
  
  
• Peanuts have a very low glycaemic index (14) and they promote good dental health because they do not form decay-causing acids in the mouth when eaten
  
  
• It is believed that the first peanut plants to be found were in the Andean lowlands of South America, notably Bolivia
  
  
• Archaeologists have claimed that excavations from burial sites in Peru dating back to 3000 BC were covered with peanut shells
  
  
• The "Father of the Peanut Industry" is regarded as Dr George Washington Carver. Beyond snacks and peanut butter, he was responsible for developing over 300 diverse uses for the peanut in products such as detergent, salves, shoe & metal polishes, shaving & face cream, soap, paint, shampoo, axle grease, ink and medicine
  
  
• Peanut butter was invented in the 1890s by a St Louis doctor, and today it is responsible for over half the consumption of US peanuts
  
  
• A number of former US Presidents were closely associated with the peanut growing industry. Thomas Jefferson was the first president to grow peanuts but perhaps the world's most famous ever peanut farmer is Jimmy Carter
  
  
• In August 1979, 100 whole unshelled peanuts were eaten one at a time in 46 seconds by Jim Kornitzer at Brighton, East Sussex
  
  
• Unbeaten heavyweight boxing legend, Rocky Marciano, was very partial to peanuts and was reputed to eat handfuls whilst training for every big fight
  

They also have the healthy characteristics, particularly unsaturated fats, of tree nuts like walnuts and almonds. This double relationship is well expressed in the phrase "the nut that's really a bean".

What we know as a peanut is actually the kernel of the peanut plant and grows beneath the ground. There is a common misconception that peanuts grow on trees like other "nuts".

The botanical (taxonomic) name for peanuts is Arachis hypogaea, which may appear on some food and product labels. In the UK, peanuts are sometimes called "groundnuts" or, by some people "monkey nuts".

Which countries are the biggest peanut producers and exporters?
The countries which produce the largest amount of peanuts are India, China, the USA and Argentina. However the largest exporters of peanuts are China, the USA and Argentina. The majority of peanuts eaten in Europe come from the USA, Argentina and China.

The USA is the only country that grows peanuts mainly for edible consumption (as snack peanuts or peanut butter) - other producing countries around the world grow peanuts mainly for oil and animal feed.

Are any peanuts genetically modified?
There are no genetically modified peanuts available from the United States of America.

What's an average serving size of peanuts and peanut butter?
30 grams or about 1 ounce, which is roughly a small handful of peanuts or two tablespoons of smooth or crunchy peanut butter (about the size of a golf ball).

How much and what type of fat is present in peanuts?
Peanuts and peanut butter are energy dense foods, mainly because of their high oil (fat) content. About 50% fat by weight, the important thing to stress is that the fat is mainly (>75%) composed of unsaturated fatty acids.

Aren't high fat foods bad for the heart?
Heart health, and the causes of heart disease, depend on many factors. What we eat, though important, is only one. Our genetic inheritance coupled with lifestyle and behaviour (smoking, eating, exercise etc) all contribute to our relative risk status for heart disease. No single factor should be seen in isolation because in real life they interact with each other. Some can be modified to improve the risk profile. That is why up to date understanding of the role of fats in a healthy diet is so important. Recent research is challenging the "all fats are bad" hypothesis by demonstrating that the type of fat regularly consumed, provided that calorie intake is maintained within normal limits, is probably more important than striving to keep the amount of fat itself below unsustainable limits. All fats are not the same in their effect on cardiovascular health. Some foods higher in beneficial unsaturated fats such as peanut products, nuts, olive oil, avocados, oily fish etc, fit easily into healthy eating patterns which reduce fat and cholesterol levels overall, particularly the harmful effects of too much saturated fat, while conferring a range of other benefits from their nutrients and phytochemical components.

Doesn't eating fat make you fat?
No. Overweight and obesity - "fatness" - only occur over time when an individual's intake of food energy from all sources exceeds the body's requirements for expenditure of energy. It is a function of how much one eats and of what types of foods, but also, crucially, of how habitually active an individual is in everyday life. Lack of physical activity, and hence lower energy expenditure, explains why overweight and obesity levels are rising in most western countries even though the total caloric intake is falling. Eating fat in foods doesn't make a person fat, though it must be remembered that all types of fat have 9kcals per 1g. Recent research demonstrates that peanuts and peanut butter, which are high in good fats for the heart and cholesterol reduction, can also be incorporated into weight loss and weight maintenance eating patterns which most people find palatable and acceptable in the longer term.

How many calories are in peanuts and peanut butter?
One serving of peanuts, equivalent to a small handful, only has 181 calories. A two tablespoon serving of peanut butter is only 187 calories. These high energy foods can easily fit into a balanced diet.

Are peanuts and peanut butter high in cholesterol?
Peanuts and peanut butter are vegetable products and therefore naturally contain no cholesterol.

Are peanuts high in protein?
Yes, they are one of the highest vegetable protein sources among all the legumes and nuts. Every serving contains almost one-quarter (24.5%) protein.

How much salt is in peanuts?
During the peanut roasting process and in peanut butter production, some salt is added to enhance flavour and to ensure stability of the product. Salted peanuts taste salty because the added salt is in crystalline form on the outside of the kernel and comes into direct contact with salt receptors on the tongue. In reality they are much less "salty" than people realise. Weight for weight, peanuts and peanut butter contain no more salt than most commercially baked bread and less salt than many breakfast cereals.

Why do salted peanuts taste so salty?
Because virtually all the salt is on the outside of the peanuts. You might be surprised to learn that peanuts aren't a high salt food. A 30g serving of salted peanuts contains no more salt than one slice of plain wholemeal bread.

Are peanuts good for your teeth?
Peanuts promote good dental health because they have very low cariogenicity compared with other savoury or sweet snack foods.

Where do I find peanuts and peanut butter in the UK's National Food Guide, The Balance of Good Health?
The UK Balance of Good Health guide (Health Education Authority, 1994) places peanut products along with other nuts and beans are part of the "meat and alternatives" food group because of their high protein content.

How much peanut butter do I need to eat to get the same amount of protein as in a piece of meat?
Animal protein (meat) and plant protein (for instance peanuts) cannot be compared weight for weight because all plant protein is "incomplete" , in varying degrees, in terms of amino acid composition or levels. Peanuts themselves contain all the essential amino acids, but have lower levels of methionine and lysine. However, as people eat foods in combination this is easily overcome by combining peanut protein with, for instance, grains (bread, pasta, noodles, rice) or pulses (beans, peas , lentils) or small amounts of animal protein to give a complete protein meal equivalent to meat on its own and with much less saturated fat and cholesterol. If vegetable sources only are used, there is no cholesterol.

Some common vegetable protein combinations with peanuts are:

• Peanut butter sandwich
• Peanuts and rice
• Peanuts and noodles
• Peanuts and other legumes (beans)