Often, green peas are dismissed as being starches rather than vegetables. This ignores the many benefits of the vegetable, which is in season and can support your heart health this winter. Green peas come in many varieties: including snow peas, snap peas and garden peas. High in fiber, and heart-healthy vitamins, peas can help you lose weight and clean your arteries. We love these legumes and want to take a closer look at them and their health benefits.

“Because legumes contain complex carbohydrates, plant-powered protein, and not much fat,” says Dr. Tamanna Singh, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, “it makes sense that consuming more of them would be associated with some reduction in cardiovascular disease, [blood sugar concerns] or some of those risk factors that are associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.”

With around nine grams of both protein and fiber, they can help slow digestion and prevent blood sugar spikes. They are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Green peas have omega-3s, B vitamins, vitamin K, manganese, folate and more. Studies have shown a clear correlation between eating peas and beans and having a lower risk of any form of heart disease.

Sautéing the veggie stops them from being exposed to excessive heat for a long time, allowing them to keep their nutrients, or they can be enjoyed raw as a snack or in a salad. We usually enjoy them as a snack, and we avoid splint pea soup as the dish can be shockingly calorific with fat and carbs added in. Half a cup of unadulterated peas only has 62 calories, so it’s easy to fit them into your day, even if you are following a diet.

If you aren’t a huge fan but want to reap the benefits of peas, have no fear. You don’t need large amounts of peas to experience their health benefits. “Half cup of legumes [is] a serving, which would be about 100 grams. Anywhere from a half serving to a full serving per day is where we see the best signal for the associated benefits,” explains Dr. John Sievenpiper of the Univ. of Toronto.

Green peas do contain some antinutrients that can disrupt the absorption of some minerals. If you have any concerns, you should speak to your doctor and see if peas would be an excellent addition to your healthy diet!