Yes, you can eat sugar snap peas raw! In fact, the best way to eat sugar snap peas is in their raw form.
There doesn’t appear to be any risk of eating raw sugar snap peas, although some sugar snap peas do need to have their stringy seams removed, which can be done easily with a knife.
Furthermore, it is recommended not to eat too many sugar snap peas at once, as there is the chance that they can cause distress to the stomach. This tends to just show itself in the form of gas or bloating, but sometimes people can experience pain which can be unpleasant and uncomfortable.
Something else that many often worry about, is whether the pod of sugar snap peas can be eaten. Unlike the standard garden pea, it is perfectly okay to consume the pod of a sugar snap pea, and many actually rather enjoy its taste. The pod is very crunchy and sweet, which makes it a lovely addition to any meal!
Benefits of Raw Sugar Snap Peas
Sugar snap peas aren’t only good for their delicious taste. They can also actually help to bring you some great health benefits. Below are some examples of these positive impacts of raw sugar snap peas.
Promotes Good Eye Health
One of the great health benefits of sugar snap peas is that they have been shown to help promote and boost the health of our eyes. This is due to the fact that the vegetables contain carotenoids that have antioxidant properties which help to promote good macula health.
It has even been found that people who suffer with, or are at risk from, macular degeneration should have foods such as sugar snap peas which have carotenoids in order to slow the progression of their disease.
Aids in Weight Loss
Another benefit of eating raw sugar snap peas is that they can actually help you to lose weight. One of the reasons it can do this is because it contains a lot of fibre. Fibre helps to bulk up our food, which therefore makes us feel fuller quicker. This, in turn, means we are less likely to eat as much and so will consume fewer calories.
Furthermore, sugar snap peas are a vegetable that do not contain a lot of starch, which means that they are something that will have you feeling full and satisfied, whilst still getting lots of healthy nutritional value from it. So, if you’re looking to lose weight then try and fill about half of your main meal with raw sugar snap peas.
Good for Heart Health
Heart disease is one of the biggest causes of death. Factors such as having high cholesterol and blood pressure are contributors to the serious condition. Well, if you want to lower your risk of getting heart disease, then you should try eating more sugar snap peas. One of the reasons for this is because it contains a lot of soluble fibre, which is known to help lower cholesterol levels, and therefore promote good heart health.
Furthermore, sugar snap peas also have a high potassium content, which is a mineral that has been shown to help lower and control blood pressure levels, something else which is key to helping reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Then a final reason why sugar snap peas can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and promote overall good heart health, is because it is rich in vitamin C. This is a vitamin that has been shown to help reduce inflammation of blood vessels, which in turn helps to prevent you from suffering with atherosclerosis, which is where the arteries become hardened.
Our bodies cannot produce vitamin C by itself, and instead we need to get it from our diet or from supplements. Therefore, the high content of the vitamin in sugar snap peas makes it a great way to get our daily dosage of the nutrient and therefore prevent any deficiencies and related health issues.
Relieves Constipation
As already mentioned, sugar snap peas contain a lot of fibre. This helps to bulk up our food and stools which helps to improve the flow through our digestive tract. This therefore helps to make your body better able to excrete waste, and so you will find yourself needing to go to the toilet more.
Whilst some people might think that needing the toilet more isn’t a good thing, it’s actually great to help prevent and relieve constipation, which is something that can otherwise be very uncomfortable.
How to Eat Sugar Snap Peas
Sugar snap peas can be eaten exactly as they are, which makes them a great choice of healthy snack. Get a small container and pack them full of sugar snap peas so you have a nice, easy, guilt-free treat that you can have on the go! You can also dip sugar snap peas into something tasty such as hummus, to make it a more substantial snack.
Additionally, you could add some sugar snap peas to a salad. This not only helps to add a bit of flavour and crunch to the meal but can also help to make it more nutritious. You can throw them in the salad bowl whole, or you can chop them up into smaller pieces.
As already briefly mentioned, the majority of people tend to prefer removing the seams from sugar snap peas before eating them, and many also chop the ends off. However, you can eat the whole of a sugar snap pea, including the pod, and so there’s no real need for any type of preparation.
Overall, it is not only safe to eat sugar snap peas raw, but it is actually widely seen as the best way to eat them. Leaving them in their fresh, uncooked form leaves more of the nutritional value of the peas to be available to your body so that you can reap all the health benefits that the crunchy vegetable contains.
You can, however, eat them cooked if you prefer the taste of them this way. So, why not go and grab some sugar snap peas now to enjoy a tasty, healthy snack that will leave you feeling satisfied and guilt-free!