Green Peas
Food · Legume · Food, Typed Supps
A legume eaten fresh like a vegetable, with surprisingly solid protein.
Stage by stage
- Intake (Tender legume structure): Chewing releases nutrients from the tender, young legume.
- Stomach (Protein & starch digestion): Protein and starch digestion begins.
- Small intestine (Protein, fibre & vitamin K absorbed): Plant protein, fibre, and vitamin K are absorbed together.
- Muscle & bone tissue (Protein synthesis & vitamin K use): Absorbed protein supports tissue repair; vitamin K supports bone-related proteins.
Timing
Fresh, frozen, and lightly cooked all retain most nutrients well.
Time to effect
- Weeks: Regular intake contributes to protein and vitamin K status.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Keto, Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
252 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — very high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.
Environmental footprint
1 kg CO2e and 397 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Peas" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £2.2 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 74.3
- Protein: 6.5g
- Carbohydrate: 7.7g
- of which sugars: 3.4g
- Fat: 0.5g
- of which saturated: 0g
- Fibre: 6.6g
- Sodium: 1mg
Food vs. supplement
Green peas provide a notably higher protein content than most vegetables — closer to a legume than a typical vegetable serving, alongside fibre and vitamin K a pea-protein-only supplement powder strips away.
Kitchen tip
Frozen peas are flash-frozen at peak ripeness and often retain more vitamin C than the fresh peas that sat in a store bin for days.
Common myth
“Peas are just a starchy vegetable, not a real protein source.” In reality: Gram for gram, peas provide meaningfully more protein than most vegetables — closer to their legume relatives like lentils and chickpeas.
Recipes that use it
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