103 Peas Nutrition Facts: Interesting Trivia About The Pod Vegetable

Peas are a cold-season crop and are grown in many parts of the world.

Peas are annual plants with a life cycle of one year. So the green peas that we use as vegetables today are actually the immature seed and, in the case of snow peas, the immature pod as well.

Peas are one of the most nutrient-dense and dietary fiber-rich legumes. Green peas, or any peas for that matter, are essentially not a vegetable.

They come from the legume family instead that produces plants with pods that have seeds inside. Examples of other legume plants include chickpeas, lentils, beans, and peanuts. However, since they are popularly consumed as vegetables, this article would refer to them as such.

All of us are guilty of picking out anything resembling the color green from our dinner plates as kids. From broccoli to peas, everything that remotely resembled healthy never really made it to our chocolate-obsessed palates.

However, have you ever wondered why your mother would constantly bug you to finish that unappetizing side of peas? Maybe she had hacked into the nutritional treasure that is green peas.

This naturally sweet vegetable has a plethora of health benefits. Typically rich in essential vitamins like vitamin K, vitamin C, and folic acid, a cup of green peas can be of great help in fulfilling your daily vitamin requirement.

Did you know? Vitamin K has been linked to decreased chances of developing prostate cancer. Of course, it cannot be seen as a cure, but anything that helps with prevention is still great, right?

There are tens of varieties of peas; however, most of them have varying levels of vitamins and are inconsumable due to their fibrous shell. Some varieties that are fit for human consumption are snow peas, garden peas, spring peas, and English peas.

The nutritional benefits of peas often get hind-sighted due to the mundane nature of the vegetable. The humble pea is neither exotic nor rare. They can be easily cooked and go with almost every dish.

However, its humble nature often makes people overlook the nutrition heaven that green peas have hidden inside them (except if you are from China, where it is considered a delicacy, among other food items). If you are one of those people who have been ignoring peas, we have got you covered.

Let us enlighten you about some nutritional facts about these wonder legumes so that you never skip a side of peas. If the following facts about green peas interest you, you can further look into our pumpkin seeds nutrition facts and parsnips nutritional facts.

Fun Facts About Peas

It is interesting to know fun tidbits of information about the food you eat. Much to our delight, some bizarre facts surround our legume of choice today: Peas.

The scientific name of the pea is Pisum sativum. Peas are one of the oldest consumed legumes. However, the green peas that we consume today are immature pods, and their consumption did not start until 1600-1700. In fact, the modern split peas with edible skin that we consume today did not come about until the early 1900s.

Now, the value of edible pea crops in the United States is over $85 million, with almost 400,000 acres planted. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Even though green and golden yellow are the most common colors of pods on the pea plant, some pea pods are even known to be purple in color.

The average size of a fresh pea is between 0.003-0.012 oz (0.1-0.36 g). But it sure is shocking to know that these tiny little things are the foundation stone of the modern science of genetics. In the mid-19th century, Austrian monk Gregor Mendel used garden peas to develop his principle of Mendelian genetics.

Did you know that beans and peas technically belong to the same seed family - Fabaceae?

Nutritional Facts About Peas

As stated earlier, peas are one of the most nutritionally dense food items.

A handful of peas - say about 1.76 oz (50 g) - contains 50 calories, 0.14 (4 g) of protein, and 0.42 (12 g) of carbohydrates. They are also high in calcium.

Peas have high fiber content that makes them great for digestive health. They are low in calories and high in fiber, making them a favorite of the diet industry.

However, what makes them unique is their high protein content. Half a cup of peas contains four times the protein compared to other vegetables like carrots.

A cup of peas actually has more protein than that in a single egg. Fresh peas are also a great source of essential vitamins and other micronutrients. One cup of peas has almost the same amount of vitamin C as four apples.

In addition, peas contain a high amount of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. High magnesium content has been linked to increased heart health. Clearly, there are numerous health benefits to consuming peas. Since peas are low in calories and high in protein, they also make for an excellent weight-loss snack.

Eating peas on a regular basis can decrease the potential of major life-threatening diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, albeit they can only help prevent the diseases and not cure them. This is because of their rich antioxidant profile that helps to reduce inflammation in the body.

Facts About Frozen Peas

Green peas are essentially available only through the colder months. However, we have hacked this issue in the form of fresh frozen peas.

Clarence Birdseye froze the first pea in 1920. Frozen fresh peas are frozen between one to two hours of plucking the fresh pea pods.

Flash freezing them helps to curb the loss of any nutrients. As a result, frozen peas have the same nutrients and minerals as fresh peas or garden peas. On the other hand, canned peas are less nutritious than flash-frozen ones.

Peas help monitor your protein intake and help in lowering blood sugar levels due to their high fiber content. Maintaining blood sugar lowers the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, and peas also have a low glycemic index.

GI is used to measure how quickly blood sugar rises after taking certain foods. Foods that lie on low glycemic index criteria are good for managing high blood sugar levels.

They are not a complete source of proteins as they lack the amino acid methionine. Peas are also low in fat content and have a plant component called saponin, which can potentially reduce the development of certain cancer cells.

Facts About Side Effect Of Peas

Peas are indeed full of nutrients like vegetables, providing multiple health benefits. However, too much of anything converts potion to poison when it comes to food.

Overconsumption of peas can be harmful to your health. Since peas are a plant product, they also contain anti-nutrients. Anti-nutrients are found in all unprocessed plant components and hence are part of all other legumes too.

These substances interfere with the absorption of other nutrients. Few ways to counter the effect of these substances include fermentation, soaking, and adequate cooking. However, please keep in mind that overcooking green pea can sap the protein in it.

True to their leguminous nature, green and yellow peas cause bloating in individuals. There are various reasons why this can happen.

One is that they are contents of FODMAPs — fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. These are a group of carbohydrates that escape digestion and are then fermented by the bacteria in your gut. In addition, green peas contain lectins that are also associated with bloating and other digestive health issues.

There are several things that you can do to counter the side effects of peas. Firstly, if FODMAP is an issue for you, then you can control the portion size of the peas.

Introducing peas in small portion sizes in your diet might be the key to availing all its health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, without letting lectins and anti-nutrients hamper nutrient absorption in your body.

These green pods can be consumed regularly without any reported side effects when taken in small amounts. All in all, peas, with their protein-dense nature and high level of essential vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin A, and richness in essential minerals like iron, potassium, and manganese, make it worthy of the superfood status that it currently holds.

The plethora of minerals that peas contain offers a wide range of health benefits and helps you achieve optimal health.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 103 peas nutrition facts: interesting trivia about the pod vegetable, then why not take a look at parsley nutritional facts or nuts nutrition facts.