One Of The Healthiest Vegetables For Your Gut Can Also Prevent Cancer Growth – Health Digest

Your gut hosts more than 100 trillion bacteria that boost your immunity, metabolism, and brain health. For these little microbes to stay alive, you need to feed them with fermented foods, healthy fats, plant-based phenols, and fiber. When your gut bacteria feed on fiber, they produce short-chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation and protect you from diseases such as cancer.

Peas are one of the healthiest vegetables for your gut because they have both fiber and phenols. You’ll find that raw green peas have more than 8 grams of fiber per cup, which can help you poop. Quercetin, kaempferol, and catechin are phenolic compounds found in peas that lower inflammation, repair colon damage, and reduce oxidative stress in mice, according to a 2021 study in Foods. These nutrients also boosted the beneficial gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids, which helped to restore the health of their gut. The phytochemicals in green peas also have anti-cancer properties.

Although peas are considered to be vegetables, they’re technically legumes similar to soybeans and peanuts. The phenolic compounds that give green peas their color can fight certain colon, lung, breast, and blood cancer lines, according to a 2017 article in Pharmacognosy Review. Isoflavones found in peas act as phytoestrogens that prevent the growth of breast cancer cells. Isoflavones also protect against cancer by promoting DNA repair and inducing the death of cancer cells. Lectins and saponins also inhibit the growth and spread of various types of cancer.

Consuming more legumes, such as green peas, can reduce your risk of dying from cancer. A 2019 study in Clinical Nutrition followed more than 7,000 older adults who had a high risk of cardiovascular disease, tracking their food for about 6 years. Compared to people who ate the least amount of legumes, those who ate the most had a 49% lower risk of dying from cancer.

If the idea of eating peas brings back unpleasant memories as a kid, there are plenty of ways to eat green peas other than adding them as a side dish. If you love guacamole, you can substitute some of the avocado with mashed green peas. You can try sneaking some peas into your salads and casseroles for extra nutrition.

If you don’t like the texture of peas, try roasting them in an air fryer. Make sure the peas are dry before you place them in your air fryer basket, and season them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook them for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway.

It might sound crazy, but you can add frozen peas to a smoothie. A half cup of frozen peas provides more than 3 grams of protein plus 3 grams of fiber to make your smoothie more filling. Be sure to add strong fruits such as berries or pineapple to avoid tasting the peas.