Peanuts vs Walnuts: Which Is Less Inflammatory?
Peanuts
Walnuts
Walnuts are less inflammatory than peanuts. No other common nut carries as much plant omega-3 as a walnut, and that fat is why it sits right at the bottom of the scale.
A peanut is not a nut at all. It is a legume, grown underground in a damp shell, and people who eat them steadily for months end up with their inflammation markers roughly where they started. Walnuts actually move them. Leave the bitter papery skin on, since that is where the plant compounds sit, and buy small bags, because walnut fat spoils fast and a sharp sour taste means it has gone.
Side by side
| Peanuts | Walnuts | |
|---|---|---|
| Inflammation Score | Medium · 5/10 | Low · 1/10 |
| Category | Nuts & Seeds | Nuts & Seeds |
| Serving size | 1 small handful (28 g) | 1 small handful (28 g, about 14 halves) |
| Key nutrients | Oleic acid, Niacin, Magnesium, Peanut protein (allergen) | Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), Ellagitannins (in the skin), Gamma-tocopherol, Copper |
| How often | A small handful a few times a week, raw or dry roasted | Daily, one small handful, raw and with the skins on |
On the AIP diet
Peanuts
Peanuts come out during the elimination phase of the Autoimmune Protocol, and they come out as a legume rather than as a nut. Legume seeds carry defensive proteins that survive cooking, and the worry is what those do to an irritated gut lining. Peanuts sit at the harder end: most legumes are tried again early, while peanuts are left until late, because people react to them so often.
Walnuts
Walnuts are out during the elimination phase of the Autoimmune Protocol. So is every other nut and seed, and walnut oil with them. This is one of the harder cuts for anyone who lives on salads and pesto, where walnuts do the work of both crunch and fat. Nuts return early in the reintroduction, and a walnut is easy to trial because you eat it on its own.
What each one brings
Peanuts
- The fat is largely the same monounsaturated kind that makes up olive oil, at a fraction of the price
- Cheap protein and fibre in something most people file as a snack rather than as food
- One of the better everyday sources of magnesium and niacin
- Eaten steadily for months, they leave the inflammation markers roughly where they were
Walnuts
- Carries more plant omega-3 than any other common nut
- The bitter papery skin is where the plant compounds sit, so leave it on
- Your gut bacteria turn those compounds into a form the body can use
- Walnut-rich diets brought down triglycerides and cholesterol in pooled trials
Watch out for
Peanuts
- Not a nut but a legume, which is why the Autoimmune Protocol removes them with beans
- The leading food allergy in children and a common trigger of a severe reaction
- They grow underground in a damp shell, so mould and its toxin are a quality question
- Most peanut butter carries added sugar and hardened oil on top of the peanuts
Walnuts
- The fragile fat spoils fast, and a sharp, sour taste means the nut is past it
- Sugar glazed and candied walnuts belong with dessert, not with a handful of nuts
- Tree nut allergy is common and can be severe
- Around 185 calories in a handful, so a bag goes down quickly
Get the inflammation score of any meal
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