You might think of these peas as being a vegetable, but they are actually a legume. Legumes are things formed in pods. Peas are about the only legume that can be eaten raw. That being said, they have awesome health benefits. With the phytonutrients and antioxidnts these peas have great anti-inflammatory benefits. Helping regulate blood sugar peas help lower risk of type II diabetes too. Good for the heart too? These peas do just that with all those antioxidants and B Vitamins. Also the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is one of the parts of omega-3's, the powerhouse for lowering inflammation in the body, will also lower the risk for cardiovascular disease.
How to Choose and Keep
It is always best to try to get these peas fresh, as frozen and canned can be high in sodium. If you have to choose one I would say frozen is better than canned. When getting fresh ones try to look for pods that are firm and smooth with a nice green color. You can snap a sugar snap pod open to see how fresh they are by how crisp they snap, or looked for well formed peas inside of snow peas. Fresh will keep in the fridge for about 1 week. Frozen ones keep for about 1 year.
Preparation
These peas are delicious raw or cooked. If you are cooking, I like to saute into stir-frys. They do not take long to cook, so add in later in the cooking process of a stir-fry.
Nutrients
Action Steps
1. Go buy some fresh snow peas and add to a stir-fry
2. Enjoy sugar snap peas as a delicious snack in place of sweets or junk food. Make sure you rinse throughly before consuming.
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