4 Benefits of peas are good for health

Of the various types of nuts available, what are your favorite nuts? Even though they are small in size, all types of nuts generally store a number of important nutrients to support a healthy body. One of them is peas which are usually available in frozen bulk packs (frozen peas) or already packed in a can. In order to understand more about peas, consider the following review, let's go!

What are the nutrients in peas?

Source: Eat Drink Paleo

Peas are one of the many types of legumes that are round, small, and have a distinctive green color that looks fresh.

Uniquely, these beans are often classified into the vegetable group because they are often processed together with various other vegetables. In fact, one type of bean belongs to the legume family, namely the plant that produces the seeds in it. Apart from peas, several other plants such as lentils and beans are also included in the legume class.

Each bean has a Latin name Pisum sativum L. it contains a myriad of nutrients that are good for the body. A 160 gram (gram) cup of peas contains approximately:

Calories: 125 calories
Protein: 8.2 gr
Fiber: 8.8 gr
Protein: 5.6 gr
Manganese: 22 percent of the daily requirement
Vitamin K: 48 percent of the daily requirement
Vitamin B1 (thiamine): 30 percent of the daily requirement
Vitamin B9 (folate): 24 percent of the daily requirement

Just like other types of beans, peas are also a good source of fiber and protein to meet the daily needs of the body. Not only that, these nuts also store a lot of antioxidants that can help the body to ward off free radical attacks.

In order to get a number of good nutrients from these nuts, you can buy them in the market in their form that is still intact or has been processed into a product. If they have gone through the processing process, these beans will usually be packaged in canned or frozen products.

Quoting from the Healthline page, there are actually several varieties or kinds of peas. Starting from yellow (yellow peas), black (black-eyed peas), and purple (purple peas).

What are the benefits of peas?

Various studies have tried to prove the good benefits of this type of nut for health, such as:

1. Helps maintain blood sugar

A 2011 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition tested a group of people who were overweight and had high cholesterol levels. The results showed that eating 50 grams of refined flour or whole peas per day for 28 days actually helped reduce insulin resistance.

In fact, according to another study in 2012 in a similar journal, found that peas are one of the foods with a low glycemic index. The glycemic index is a value that states how quickly food sources of carbohydrates can affect blood sugar levels in the body.

Every food has a different glycemic index value. The smaller the glycemic index value of a food, of course the spike in sugar levels that rise after eating the food will be slower. Vice versa.

In other words, legumes are a good type of bean for people with diabetes, because they will not make blood sugar spike up.

2. Reducing the risk of kidney disease due to hypertension

Foods rich in fiber are proven to be good for keeping blood pressure stable, as well as preventing problems or inflammation of the heart. This is also proven by Dr. Rotimi Aluko, a food expert at the University of Manitoba, Canada. Aluko explained that high blood pressure or hypertension is a major risk factor for people who have chronic kidney disease.

Not infrequently, people with kidney disease who have entered the final stage have to routinely perform dialysis or kidney transplants because of the severity of the disease. Starting from here, Dr. Rotimi found that protein from peas has the potential to prevent kidney damage in people who have hypertension.

Instead of eating peanuts in their whole form, the limited research conducted on experimental animals is trying to extract the pea protein which is processed into pill and powder form.

3. Healthy digestive system

Research has shown that this type of bean is actually useful for smoothing the digestive system. For people who are experiencing digestive problems, such as constipation, peas can be a good food choice.

The reason is, the fiber content in these nuts will help facilitate bowel movements in absorbing food. These results are also supported by research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, which says that eating peas can help relieve constipation and improve bowel movements.

Directly, of course, it will reduce the frequency of consumption of laxatives that are usually used to treat constipation.

4. Rich in antioxidants

Peas are one source of natural nutrients that contribute a lot of antioxidants. The human body can actually produce its own antioxidants. However, the intake of antioxidants from outside is also needed by the body to meet its supplies, so that it is stronger in warding off free radical attacks.

Free radicals should not be underestimated because they can increase the risk of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, atelosclerosis, and so on. No need to worry, because regularly eating peas and their preparations will contribute various antioxidants to the body.

Take for example, such as polyphenol compounds, lutein, and phenolic, which will help protect the body against disease. In fact, the lutein compound is believed to be able to maintain, optimize vision function, as well as prevent cataracts and macular degeneration.

How to eat peas?

Source: Simply Recipes

Peas can be easily mixed with other vegetables and side dishes. You can even add it to your favorite salad dishes to increase your nutritional intake. Interestingly, now many peas are processed as milk, so they can be used as an alternative to cow's milk.

So, don't hesitate to be more creative with processed peas. Either put whole into cooking, mashed to add color, or mixed into food while it's still intact after boiling until soft.