From garden peas, to sugar snap peas to petit pois, there’s a pea out there for everyone (I’m a petit pois gal myself). They’re super food for you and those little balls of green pack a punch! Here’s why..

Green peas.

All peas are great for you but I’m not going to go through the different benefits of each different pea, as they do differ slightly. Instead, let’s talk about the main pea, the big boss, the green pea!

There’s a lot of benefits nutritionally with 1/2 a cup of peas. From 4g of protein and fiber to almost 35% of your Vitamin A RDI. Not only that, there’s Vitamin C, Thiamine, Folate. Vitamin K, Manganese, Iron and Phosphorus. Wow, that’s a lot of health right there!

Protein.

If you’re a vegan like me, you’ll know a lot of alternative protein sources contain pea protein and that’s because green peas are one of the best sources of protein you can get. Thanks to the protein and fiber content in peas, they can help to slow digestion and make you feel fuller for longer. This is great to make sure you don’t major hunger pangs between meals, like I often do.

Help to control blood sugar.

In addition to helping you feel fuller for longer, the protein and fiber in peas can also help with regulating blood sugar levels. As fiber slows the rate at which carbs are absorbed, this promotes a slower, more stable rise in blood sugar rather than a spike.

For this reason, peas can be great for those who suffer with diabetes. Not only do they keep blood sugar under control, they also have a low GI with plenty of vitamins and minerals which provide reductions in the risk of diabetes for many.

Anti-nutrients.

Yes, when I first starting reading up on this I was like, what the hell is an anti nutrient but it’s very interesting!

Peas technically aren’t actually a vegetable, they’re classed as a legume and much like other foods in this category, there are substances within them that can interfere with digestion and mineral absorption. So what does this mean?

In peas there’s phytic acid. This can interfere with how the body absorbs iron, calcium, zinc and magnesium. There’s also lectins which can cause you to bloat and in turn, mean that nutrients you take on aren’t absorbed properly.

For this reason it’s advised you make sure to keep portion sizes of peas reasonable, you only eat them when fully cooked and don’t go eating them with every meal throughout the day.

How to eat them.

There’s so many different ways to eat peas. Personally, I love putting them in with rice to create a nice texture with my meal, I love them as part of any meal with gravy (gravy and peas is bomb) and they’re also great for popping into anything saucy such as a curry, pasta dish or stir fry.

I’d love to know what your favourite kind of pea is, so let me know in the comments below!

Love, always – B
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