To Your Health: Peanut Skins

BY JANE McINNIS

With Major League Baseball post-season games underway (game schedule here), you might be cracking open a few more peanuts (and beers) than usual.

But what's the rule on those brown peanut skins, contained within the shell?

"Peanut skins have traditionally been treated by peanut processors as a waste product and sold off as animal feed. But that is changing," reads an article on seriouseats.com.

In a study conducted in 1996, it was discovered that peanuts skins contained fatty acids, the good kind of fat that benefits blood pressure, vessels and joints, the website said.

"Not only are they high in fiber, but they contain reservatrol, the same antioxidant that red wine is famous for, which is also an antimicrobial, and which in lab tests has been shown to lower blood sugar and may be an important weapon in the fight against cancer," the article reads.

According the Livestrong.com, another beneficial nutrient found in peanut skins include polyphenols, which provide antioxidant properties and can have anti-aging effects on arthritis.

Antioxidants have anti-inflammatory effects and help overall health by fighting free radicals that cause oxidation of cells.

Are peanut skins too bitter for you? Do you leave them on or shell them off? Leave your thoughts in a comment.