There are roughly 115 Calories In A Cup Of Peas..
Green peas are a very good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese,dietary fiber, folate and thiamin (vitamin B1). They are also a good source of vitamin A, phosphorous, vitamin B6, protein, niacin,magnesium, riboflavin (vitamin B2), copper, iron, zinc and potassium.
Peas Are Powerful!
Peas are a type of legume, the family to which all beans belong. While all beans contain similar nutritional properties, none can beat green peas for convenience--a quick blanch and they’re ready. You can even eat them raw if they’re young and fresh!
Peas are a nutritional powerhouse and a shining example of nutrient-density. In a one cup serving of peas, you get significant amounts of the vitamins A, C, and K, as well as all of the B vitamins (except B12, found primarily in animal products). You also get significant amounts of trace minerals, all packaged within a high-protein,high-fiber vegetable.
Even better, green peas contain many phyto nutrients with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. Here are a few of the known phyto chemical compounds peas contain:
CaffeicAcid
Caffeic acid is a polyphenol which has demonstrated powerful anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Caffeic acid is known to help regulate parts of our immune response, turning down factors which lead to chronic inflammation and cancer. It is unrelated to caffeine, and does not have a stimulating effect.
FerulicAcid
Ferulic acid is also a polyphenol with powerful antioxidant activity, and suggested anti-cancer activity.
PisumosidesA and B
The pisumosides are diterpenes,which are compounds often involved in the color, taste, and scent of a plant.While the pisumosides themselves need more research, diterpenes as a group have many beneficial effects, such as being anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer.
PisumsaponinsI and II
Pisumsaponins I and II are triterpenes, very closely related to the diterpenes mentioned above.Triterpenes have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects through regulation of some pro-inflammatory channels, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa). Saponins are being intensely researched for even more health benefits today.
Lignans
Lignans are phytoestrogens which are being researched as anti-cancer nutrients, particularly for estrogen-sensitive cancers such as breast cancer. Lignans are believed to interact with estrogen receptors in the body and to modify them through gene expression, turning down genes responsible for the progression of cancer. Lignans also also powerful antioxidants!
Coumestrol
Green peas are an especially potent source of a type of coumestan known as coumestrol. Coumestrol is a type of phytoestrogen, like the lignans, and interacts strongly with estrogen receptors, helping to moderate the genes involved in certain forms of cancer.
Where to Find the Best Peas
No matter how you eat them, peas are a powerful addition to your diet. You can find them frozen and canned all year long, but look at your local farmers’ market in the spring for fresh peas! Early in the season you can find deliciously sweet sugar snap peas, followed later by snow peas (which are great for a stir fry), and finally the fully grown pea, still green and delicious.
References:
http://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=chem&acc=D014315
http://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=chem&acc=D004224
http://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=chem&acc=D002109
http://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=chem&acc=D003373
http://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=chem&acc=D017705
http://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=chem&acc=D003375
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3434995?uid=3739568&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=47698863388097
