Peanuts can help alleviate protein malnutrition

MANILA, Philippines - Don’t look now, but it seems the lowly peanut we often take for granted as snacks and toppings on donuts and brownies can help alleviate protein malnutrition that affects 37 out of every 100 preschoolers nationwide.

“Like meat and fish, peanuts, soybeans, and other legumes are also a good source of protein, which is an important building block of bones, muscles, skin, and tissues,” says Kathleen Espino Ngitngit-Cruzada, a nutritionist-dietician.

She adds that peanuts are a good and cheap alternative to animal protein, especially in remote areas where people don’t have access to meat and fish. “About one cup of raw peanuts may be substituted for a serving of meat or fish.”

According to Ngitngit-Cruzada, peanuts can help lessen protein-energy malnutrition, a type of malnutrition where a child is calorie-protein deficient.

She explains, “Protein-energy malnutrition is marked by growth retardation where the child is very thin and weak. There are also behavioral changes such as irritability, decreased social responsiveness, and anxiety.”

Another form of protein malnutrition is where the child could be getting enough or even excess calories from his diet but lacks the total protein requirement.

“In this case, the child could be physically big or obese because of fluid retention. Yet, he is not getting enough protein requirement needed for his growth,” Ngitngit-Cruzada points out.

To help prevent protein malnutrition, the nutritionist-dietician says kids should be encouraged to eat peanuts as a form of healthy snacking, instead of introducing them to junk foods.

“A child can be taught to eat nuts at an early age as long as the nuts are properly processed and the child does not have any medical conditions that would require him to avoid eating nuts,” she asserts.