Properties & benefits of peas!
Peas, rich tonifying spring legumes protect, COLON, BLOOD VESSELS & BRAIN!
Peas (pisum sativum) nowadays are found all year round frozen, but from May we can find them fresh which are also better when consumed & rich in plant protein & folic acid. Very nutritious & easy to digest they give us more energy without tiring our organism & their fibres reduce fat from our blood & also reduce cholesterol & triglycerides. Furthermore their rind acts as an intestinal cleaner, removing waste & disposing of fat in the most critical areas like, hips & belly.
Half a cup of raw fresh peas contains 30mg Vitamin C, helpful for the sysnthesis of collagene & our immune system, it is equivalent to approximately 19% of the recommended daily allowance, they also contain group B vitamins, essential for the correct functioning of our brain & for the protection of our cardiovascular system, for hemoglobin synthesis & to contrast anemia & energy drops.
Once they were called the meat of the poor, but today instead they are considered an ideal food & a study held out by the Clinical Nutrition & risk Factor modification center in Toronto, showed that eating a portion of peas each day for six weeks reduced lipoprotein LDL by 5%. But it doesn’t end here, infact peas:
- HELP US ABSORB LESS SUGAR: thanks to the fibres present they become food for the so called “good” bacteria, & reduce the sugar absorption protecting the intestinal environment, preventing constipation. The world’s cancer research fund suggests to consume between 25-30g of fibre each day as a protection against colon tumor, therefore 80-140g of peas per week would be sufficient.
- REDUCE & TONIFY WAISTLINE: According to various different studies, pea consumption helps dispose of the extra weight, helping in reducing our waist circumference. They have a very low glycemic index & release glucose very slowly, hence the glycemia is resleased very slowly & gradually. This way the statiety feeling is increased & glycemic peaks avoided. Moreover the have the least calories amongst all other legumes & contain toning & metabolism improving protein.
- REBALANCE HORMONAL FUNCTIONS: they are also recommended during the menopause diet because their phytoestrogens rebalance hormonal functions, & thanks to their sweet taste they also satisfy the crave for sugar without causing any risk.
- REDUCE FAT: Rich in vitamins & fibre, they stimulate intestinal transit, slowing down the cholesterol LDL absorption.
- REGULATE BLOOD PRESSURE: thanks to their potassium content they help diuresis & monitor blood pressure, moreover their low starch content makes them easily digestable even for those suffering from colitis.
Fresh peas should be preferred to frozen or canned peas because they maintain all their vitamins, which tend to get lost when preserving, moreover precooked peas are preserved in a liquid made out of water, sugar & sodium that are harmful as we all know. However we can find them dried or frozen. Frozen peas maintain the same taste as the fresh ones & if kept well also the same properties. On the other hand dried peas must be soaked for at least 25 minutes & are ideal for soups, they have a lot of protein, but have a lower vitamin value than the others, & if we want to avoid stomach aches it is best to choose them in the decorticated version.
There are more than 200 varieties of peas existing & according to the size of the seed they are identified as medium, fine or extrafine, the best varieties are:
-BUCK (green) & PROGRESS: rich in antioxidants & chlorophyll, they are the most common ones
–ROVEJA: is a wild variety, its sedds are dark purple & they are rich in vegetable protein & minerals.
-JACKDAWS: the jackdaws are another variety of peas that are eaten whole (with their peel), they are very rich in fibre, vitamins A, C & B9, iron & they also reactivate our bowel.
Did you Know: King Louie XIV was so mad about peas that he gave life to a new fashion in those days, they used to be picked very green & before maturation.
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