0The New Complete Book of Food
What Happens When You Cook This Food
Chlorophyll, the pigment that makes green vegetables green, is sensitive to acids. When you
heat green peas, the chlorophyll in the peas reacts chemically with the acids in the vegetable
or in the cooking water, forming pheophytin, which is brown. The pheophytin turns the
cooked peas olive-drab.
To keep cooked peas green, you have to keep the chlorophyll from reacting with acids.
One way to do this is to cook the peas in lots of water, which will dilute the acids. A second
alternative is to leave the lid off the pot when you cook the peas so that the volatile acids can
float off into the air. Or you can steam the peas in very little water or stir-fry them so fast
that they cook before the chlorophyll has time to react with the acids. No matter how you
cook the peas, save the cooking liquid. It contains the peas’ water-soluble B vitamins.How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
Drying. Fresh green garden peas are immature seeds. The peas used to make dried split peas
are mature seeds, may have twice as much starch as fresh peas, and are an extremely good
source of protein. A cup and a half of dried split peas, which will weigh about 14 ounces
(400 grams) when cooked, has 20 to 25 grams protein, half the RDA for a healthy adult. Split
peas don’t have to be soaked before cooking; in fact, soaking drains the B vitamins. When
buying split peas, look for well-colored peas in a tightly sealed box or bag. Store the peas
in an air- and moistureproof container in a cool, dry cupboard. When you are ready to use
them, pick the peas over, discarding any damaged, broken, or withered ones along with any
pebbles or other foreign matter.
Dried split peas contain hemagglutinens, naturally occurring chemicals that cause red
blood cells to clump together. Although the hemagglutinens in peas are not inactivated by
cooking, they are not known to cause any ill effects in the amounts we usually eat.Medical Uses and/or Benefits
Lower levels of cholesterol. Foods high in soluble gums and pectins appear to lower the
amount of cholesterol in the blood and offer some protection against heart disease. There are
currently two theories to explain how this may happen. The first theory is that the pectins
may form a gel in your stomach that sops up fats and keeps them from being absorbed by
your body. The second is that bacteria in the gut may feed on fiber in the peas, producing
short chain fatty acids that inhibit the production of cholesterol in your liver.
As a source of carbohydrates for people with diabetes. Legumes are digested very slowly, pro-
ducing only a gradual rise on blood-sugar levels. As a result, the body needs less insulin to
control blood sugar after eating beans than after eating some other high-carbohydrate foods
(bread or potato). In studies at the University of Kentucky, a diet rich in beans, whole-grains,
vegetables, and fruit developed at the University of Toronto enabled patients with type 1