Mary Hartley, RD, MPH, is the director of nutrition for Calorie Count, providing domain expertise on issues related to nutrition, weight loss and health. She creates original content for weekly blogs and newsletters, for the Calorie Count library, and for her popular daily Question-and-Answer section, Ask Mary. Ms. Hartley also furnishes direction for the site features and for product development.
Not only did Dr. Oz inherit Oprah’s timeslot, he also snagged “The Oprah Effect,” (When Oprah endorses a product, business explodes.) Case in point: Inca Peanuts. Had you heard of them before?
Here’s what Dr. Oz wants you to know.
“Inca Peanuts are the best snack for weight loss,” according to Dr. Oz. That’s because they control your appetite. They don’t suppress it like diet pills. Inca Peanuts are loaded with protein, fiber and fat, three nutrients that promote satiety. Inca Peanuts take the edge off hunger.
The protein in Inca Peanuts has all the essential amino acids, just like in animal foods. And the protein is highly digestible, as plant proteins go. Inca Peanuts are high in fiber with 6 grams of fiber per ounce. As a point of reference, one ounce of regular peanuts has only 2.4 grams of fiber.
Compared to other plants, Inca Peanuts have a better blend of fatty acids. They have the highest concentration of the essential fatty acids, Omega-3s, Omega-6s and Omega-9s. Omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), is the raw material the body uses to make DHA and EPA, the omega oils in fish. In addition, Inca Peanuts have less saturated fat than any fish and they are never contaminated like farm raised fish or fish that collect mercury. The Inca Peanut fat also carries vitamins A and C, natural anti-oxidants.
The original name of Inca Peanuts is Sacha Inchic, an aboriginal term meaning “mountain or wild peanut.” The peanuts are actually the seeds of a green, star-shaped fruit that grows on a vine in the warm, moist climate of the low and high Amazon jungles of Peru. When you buy Inca Peanuts, you help indigenous people of the Amazon preserve their way of life. Oxam America and other non-profits promote cultivation as a cash crop and a way to reverse deforestation. Besides seeds, Sacha Inchic is grown to provide powdered protein for the food and supplement industries and oil for use in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Inca Peanuts taste best when they are roasted and salted. When raw, they have a bitter taste like cocoa and the hardness of a seed. They are expensive because they are imported and new to the market. You can order Inca Peanuts online or try TerrAmazon brand Sachi Inchi Roasted Seeds at Whole Foods Market. Dr. Oz recommends one ounce a day – around 180 calories.
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