Different types of split peas and their benefits
Split peas are a great source of iron, zinc, protein, phosphorus, and then some. If you’ve looked at healthy or vegetarian recipes, you’ll most likely see peas, lentils, or beans on the ingredient list. So, it’s no surprise that more and more people are seeing the fantastic health benefits of this food family, including us at BellyCrush! So, here’s a quick rundown of everything you need to know about split peas and their benefits.
What are split peas, anyways?
Green and yellow peas are part of the pulse family that also includes chickpeas, lentils, split peas, and beans. Pulses can be defined as “dried edible seeds of certain plants in the legume family”. Some of their noteworthy health benefits include high protein and fiber, and low fat content. An extra fun fact to note about pulses is the fact that they are typically grown in nitrogen-fixing crops. This encourages better environmental sustainability practices!
Now onto split peas, specifically. As part of the legume family, split peas are different varieties of the Pisum sativum L. plant or field plants for short. They also grow all over the world in places like Canada, Russia, China, India, and the United States. Split peas can be broken into two categories: green and yellow peas. A big reason why split peas are gaining popularity is because of their high nutrition value. Split peas are high in protein and fiber, and are also a great source of a number of other nutrients such as amino acids, copper, potassium, manganese - just to name a few. Not only do split peas hold tons of nutrition, but they have a mild enough taste that they can easily be included in a variety of recipes!
Difference between green and yellow peas
Okay, so what is the difference between green peas and yellow peas? While both are nutritionally similar and grow from the same plant, the main difference is their color and taste. The color difference stems from the genetic coding on the Pisum sativum L. plant. With regards to the taste, green peas have a nuttier and prominent taste, whereas yellow peas have a sweeter and milder palette. Considering both variations have alike health benefits, below are specified health benefits for both green peas and yellow peas.
Some health benefits of green peas include:
- Improve heart health
- Better maintenance of healthy body weight
- Blood sugar control
- High levels of antioxidants
- Promotes muscle strength and bone health
Some health benefits of yellow peas include:
- Digestive system regulation
- Cholesterol control
- Blood sugar control
- Better maintenance of healthy body weight
- Promote gut health
Split peas are nutritious and incredibly versatile for cooking and even baking. If you’re ever curious about trying more pea-based products, BellyCrush is your go-to! Our cookies are yellow pea fiber based and aid in weight management and overall gut health!
References
- http://www.pulsecanada.com/about-pulse-canada/what-is-a-pulse/
- https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/split-peas
- https://www.livestrong.com/article/415150-difference-between-yellow-split-peas-green-split-peas/
- https://www.livestrong.com/article/354682-health-benefits-of-green-split-peas/
- https://findanyanswer.com/is-there-a-difference-between-yellow-split-peas-and-green-split-peas
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/green-peas-are-healthy#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4
