Protein isn’t just for building up your muscles. It also keeps your brain working, supports the walls of cells and acts as a last reserve for energy just in case carbs and fats aren’t available. By snacking on an ounce of peanuts, you can get as much as 15 percent of your daily protein recommendation for a 2,000-calorie diet.
Your 1-ounce serving of raw peanuts -- out of the shell -- contains 7.3 grams of protein. Because protein provides 4 calories per gram, that equates to approximately 29 calories from protein. The calories from protein account for 18 percent of the total 160 calories, with the remaining amount coming primarily from fat and a small amount of carbohydrate.
Your diet needs to have 10 to 35 percent calories from protein, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 states. Generally the more active you are, the more calories from protein you may need. If you’re sedentary, sticking to the lower end of the recommendation should be adequate. If 2,000 calories is your average, you’ll need 200 to 700 calories from protein, or 50 to 175 grams. Those 7.3 grams of protein in an ounce of peanuts amount to 4 to 15 percent of your daily protein requirement, depending on your activity level.