Food Tip of the Week: Green Peas

Enjoy Green Peas This Week

If you have traditionally thought about green peas as a "starchy vegetable" that won.t provide you with very much in the way of phytonutrients or body systems support, it's time to change your thinking. Green peas are loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, and these health-supportive nutrients are provided in a wide range of nutrient categories. For example, in the flavonoid category, green peas provide us with the antioxidants catechin and epicatechin, two flavonoids also found in green tea. In the carotenoid category, they offer alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. Their phenolic acids include ferulic and caffeic acid, which also contribute to the benefits of coffee. Their polyphenols include coumestrol, a phytoestrogen also found in soybeans, spinach and Brussels sprouts. Pisumsaponins I and II and pisomosides A and B are anti-inflammatory phytonutrients found almost exclusively in peas. Antioxidant vitamins provided by green peas include vitamin C and vitamin E, and a good amount of the antioxidant mineral zinc is also found in this amazing food. Yet another key anti-inflammatory nutrient needs to be added to this list, and that nutrient is omega-3 fat. Recent research has shown that green peas are a reliable source of omega-3 fat in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). In one cup of green peas, you can expect to find about 30 milligrams of ALA. Although large-scale studies on green pea intake and chronic health problems remain unavailable, researchers have already begun to suggest connections with respect to type 2 diabetes. Researchers now believe that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients in greens peas play an important role (along with protein and fiber) in lowering our risk of this chronic health problem.