Baked vs raw nuts, which is healthier?

Nuts can be a healthy snack as long as you eat them in the right way. Many studies have also shown that eating nuts has many health benefits, including lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. So, between the two most popular ways to eat nuts, which one is healthier? Roasted peanuts or raw nuts? Find out the answer in this article.

Comparing roasted nuts and raw nuts

Judging from the nutritional value

One hundred grams of raw peanuts contains about 500-600 calories. Baked nuts of course contain higher levels of fat and calories than raw nuts, because they have gone through the cooking process with oil and (maybe a little) salt. In addition, some of the antioxidants and vitamin content in nuts are also lost when roasting.

Judging from the taste factor

Although raw nuts can also be snacked on, most people prefer roasted nuts because of their more savory and crunchy taste. Meanwhile, raw nuts have a very light and simple taste. This makes people often feel bored when eating it.

Judging from the bacteria content

Raw peanuts may have potentially harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and E. Coli. If the soil where the beans grow is contaminated with bacteria, the peanuts will be easily contaminated with bacteria. Not only that, contaminated water during harvest or post-harvest will also increase the risk of raw beans being exposed to bacteria.

One study reported that nearly 1 percent of samples from a variety of nuts contained Salmonella, with the highest contamination rates in macadamia nuts and lowest in hazelnuts. However, numbers Salmonella low detected. So, it may not cause illness in healthy people.

Whereas the roasting process prevents bacteria from affecting the roasted nuts easily. In fact, the amount of contamination can be lost if the nuts - regardless of the way they are treated, are cleaned and processed properly so they are safe for health.

Conclusion

Raw and roasted nuts offer a variety of different health benefits. Raw nuts are very healthy, but the risk of containing bacteria is also high. However, raw nuts will not cause disease if the cleaning process is done properly.

On the other hand, roasted nuts are free from harmful bacteria but may contain less antioxidants and vitamins. In addition, the healthy fat content can also be damaged by the oxidation process when baked. However, this risk will depend on the temperature and length of time you roasted and the type of nuts used.

Overall, if the beans are roasted at low to moderate temperatures, the nutrient content in them will not be significantly reduced.