The Health Benefits of Eating Peas

Before we get into the health benefits of eating peas…

Here’s a Simple Pea Salad!

Take a “normal” (398 ml/13.5 oz) can of peas. Add a few tablespoons of Miracle Whip – or other dressing (or olive oil) as desired. Put in a few squirts of mustard. Mix it up. Eat! Calorie quotient: 200-300 calories.

What’s So Special About Peas? They Are Green!

Let start with the fact that peas are green! What is the significance of that? It means that peas contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is fat soluble and antioxidant. While the jury is still out on all the benefits of chlorophyll, studies in rodents show that chlorophyll can reduce the occurence of cancerous tumors by binding to carcinogenic chemicals, thus blocking their absorption in the intestines.

In general, there is a connection between eating green vegetables and cancer protection. The higher your daily intake of green vegetables, the greater the potential anti-cancer effect.

And natural chlorophyll has only benefits and no natural side effects for humans.

The Little Green Things Have Lots of Protein!

If you go to the store looking for plant-based protein, and you look at the list of ingredients, you are likely to find that “pea protein” is one of the first ingredients. So if pea protein is the foundation for protein powder, it stands to reason that the actual pea is a great source of protein as well – and that would be correct! The can of Walmart Great Value Assorted Peas that I am looking at right now has 5 grams of protein per serving, or about 16 grams in the entire can. 

And how much will you have to pay for a can of generic peas? Not much, I can tell you that! It’s definitely one of the cheaper items in your local supermarket. I won’t date this post by giving a price, but check for yourself.

And What About That Fiber?

Fiber is the super-hero of the digestive system, and peas have lots of fiber – both soluble and insoluble. Fiber helps keep things moving, helping to prevent that bloated feeling! It also helps you feel full longer, so it just might be a help with weight management.

The combination of fiber and protein in peas is GREAT for blood sugar. It helps keep blood sugar on an even keel. Yes, peas have “carbs,” but they are complex carbs, which don’t drown the system with sugar spikes – which should be useful information for those who have diabetes or pre-diabetes – or wish to prevent diabetes, which probably should be all of us!

Keeping the Heart Hearty…

Three characteristics of peas make them great for the heart and heart health.

• Soluble fiber. Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol levels by binding to cholesterol molecules, then taking them out of the body.
• Peas contain potassium. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure, which helps to prevent strain on your cardiovascular system.
• Peas contain antioxidants. Antioxidants help combat oxidative stress and inflammation. Both of these are associated with heart disease.

The Vitamins and Minerals of Peas

We’re talking K. And C. And folate. And iron. All these are essential for various body functions.

Vitamin K is great for blood clotting and bone health. Vitamin C, as you likely already know, is great for the immune system. Folate (Vitamin B-9) is great for cell division and DNA formation. Iron transports oxygen throughout the body.

And there’s more… Lutein and zeaxanthin for the eyes. Calcium for the bones.

Coumestrol – a nutrient found in peas – helps protect against stomach cancer. A 2009 Mexican study showed that eating peas and other legumes daily lowered the risk of stomach cancer by 50%! That’s seriously significant. 

Like most natural foods, peas were created with a balance of nutrients that, taken all together, work together to promote good health.

They Are Not High in Calories

At 50-60 calories per 1/2 cup, they do have a few more calories than lettuce or broccoli in the same serving sizes, to be sure, but because they are a legume with considerable protein and fiber, they are probably more satiating. My opinion: It would be hard to become fat eating nothing but peas. And I’m not recommending that either – but you get the point!

What If You Don’t Like Peas?

“Eat your peas, or you can’t have dessert,” parents (apparently!) have told their children for decades. The idea is that children (and many adults) don’t really like peas, and have to be forced (or force themselves) to eat them, “for health.”

Personally, I love peas – and I think I always have. It could be that the dislike for peas comes from the way they are served, as an “healthy” adjunct to what might otherwise be a not-so-healthy meal. The “not-so-healthy” stuff often is very rich in saturated fat, salt, sugar, etc., and by contrast peas seem very mundane and ordinary.

So maybe it’s better not to just have a bowl of peas together with a meal, as a “lip-service” offering to good health and a balanced diet! Try a pea salad as a main course – like the one at the beginning of this post, for example. Include peas in other recipes. They go together with many other foods – such as different meats and other starches. :Change things up a little. Don’t have peas as one “healthful-but-rather-bland” dish in an otherwise unhealthy meal. Learn to like peas for their own sake! They really have a great flavor!

What Form of Peas is Best?

The main forms of peas available for purchase are frozen and canned. Or you can buy fresh – but that’s pretty seasonally limited.

Frozen is obviously the least processed form of peas, and is probably the preferred, because it contains no salt or sugar. If you buy canned, watch for added sugar as well as salt.

Finally…

As mentioned above, there are truly many great health reasons to eat peas. If you find ways to enjoy them, to use an over-used expression, “your body will thank you” – definitely! Add peas to the list of foods that make up the core of your very simple, healthy and inexpensive diet.

If you have comments or questions on peas and why and how to eat them – or anything else related – please feel free to share in the comments below.