Nuts

In our quest to live healthy lifestyles, many people struggle to find healthy snacks packed with protein. One food they can search out to resolve this age-old issue is the peanut. Today, peanuts are available all over the place. Made in flavors such as dry roasted, honey roasted, and classics, there’s a nut that can appeal to everyone. However, nothing quite beats walking through the grocery store, seeing the tub of shelled peanuts, and quickly grabbing one or two to snack on when your mom isn’t looking. Cracking open that nut and savoring it sneakily is wonderful. However, Amanda B. doesn’t quite agree. Sure, she likes peanuts. But here’s the issue:

She eats them with the shell.

No, I don’t mean the little brown covering that might be attached sometimes. I mean the Mr. Peanut peanuts that you have to crack open and then eat. She tosses it whole in her mouth, shell and all. Honestly, I’m not sure how she eats it. I don’t know if she crunches it up in her teeth or lets it sit on her tongue until it’s soft enough to chew. Either way, it’s disgusting.

The Real Risk of Being Gross

Although I have common sense and decency issues with this habit, there are legitimate health concerns Amanda should consider the next time she tosses one into her mouth. Most obviously, peanut shells are not soft. They are often difficult for the human stomach to digest, you know, since humans aren’t supposed to eat them. This could lead to the revolting snack piling up in your organs, causing blockages and gas. Not only this, when growing, peanuts are extremely likely to develop fungal disease. To avoid this, farmers coat the beloved little beans in all kinds of pesticides to fight off infection (they expect people to discard the shell so they don’t worry about the pesticides harming people). Eating these excess pesticides could cause health defects from irritation to being absorbed directly into the body, wrecking more havoc along the way. 

So Salty

Despite these negative effects, Amanda says she loves the extra saltiness. However, having even a one ounce serving of in-shell peanuts (without the shell like a normal person) totals to 170 mg of sodium. That’s 7% of our daily diet! Clearly, peanuts themselves are already home to plenty of saltiness to go around. Seeking more through the pesticide-ridden shells cannot be justified. 

In the End

Overall, eating peanut shells can lead to health issues such as intestinal blockages and pesticide consumption. Is it worth it for what little nutrients may lie within the shell, though?

No. Absolutely not. 

Eating peanuts with the shell has never been and will never be okay. So, sorry Amanda. Better luck next time.