Sugar snap peas, are by nature, deceptive. They say “sugar” right in the title like its going to be full of yum-tastic confectionary flavor and its Not. Even. Close.
Let’s look past my disappointment though and focus on what it is. Sugar snap peas (or if you so choose, saying regular ol’ snap peas is fine) is a cross between garden peas and snow peas. This means that we get a nice thick and edible pod to crunch into! (By the way, am I the only one that appreciates a good crunch the rare times I eat vegetables? It’s very satisfying.)
On to the mystery of why these babies are referred to as “sugar” snap peas (can you tell that this bothers me immensely?!). Sugar snap peas contain about 10.5 grams of carbs for every cup. Most of those carbs actually come from fructose and fructose is, ding ding ding, a form of sugar! This fructose gives the pod a sweeter flavor, thus earning it its title of Sugar Snap Peas.
Possible pros for consuming snap peas? Well, boosted immunity for one. This by itself should be reason enough for me to stuff these down my throat during flu season. They can also help with weight loss and constipation due to the amount of fiber in each serving which aids with digestion. Again, I’m slowly realizing that I should be shoveling these in my pie hole ALL THE TIME. Due to the notable amounts of carotenes, lutein, zeaxanthin and most importantly Vitamin A, this is also considered to be beneficial to healthy eyesight. In addition to all of the above, they may even help control blood sugar. As an added bonus, you will find snap peas to be cholesterol free and almost fat free.
The beauty of Sugar Snap Peas is that you can eat them in a variety of ways. You can eat them raw, steamed, sautéed, and blanched. Just remember that when cooking them, you don’t want them to lose their bright fresh color. If they do, it means you overcooked them. My personal favorite way to eat them? Dipped in Ranch because I’m a heathen.
And remember, if you do eat these, make sure to eat the pod with it! The pod has tons of nutrients that normal peas don’t have!
Recipes that include Sugar Snap Peas:
Photo by Monika Grabkowska from Unsplash
Lovely post Kristen 🙂 Your photography skills are simply awesome. Beautiful blog 🙂
I can’t take credit for the photography, I normally have captions giving credit but redesigning the blog has meant that some things got lost. A good reminder to go back through and make sure all photo credits are back in place though!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
I love these raw!!! I eat them like chips…lol
I eat them like chips too! Including the dip! 😀
Oh yes raw for me too! I love the crunch.
Yes! The crunch is one of the best parts!