Peas have been around since at least Egyptian times, but edible pod peas weren't developed until the 17th century. One of only three types of peas, the snap pea is a great source of many nutrients. Snap peas are incredibly high in vitamin C, are good sources of vitamins K and A, folate, iron and manganese. All of that great nutrition comes with dietary fiber, no fat and very few calories.
Definition
Snap peas, also known as sugar snap peas, are a cross between the garden pea and the snow pea. Snap peas have an edible pod that should be firm, smooth, bright green and free from spots. This nutrition information comes from the USDA database as provided by NutritionData.com. Values provided are for 10 snap pea pods, weighing 34 grams (g).
Basic Nutrition
Ten snap peas have only 14 calories, 2.6 g of carbohydrates and 1.4 g of sugar. Based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, this represents one percent of the recommended daily value (DV) for calories and carbohydrates. They provide 1.0 g of protein, or two percent DV. Snap peas have only a trace amount of total fat (0.1 g).
Vitamins
Snap peas are an outstanding source of vitamin C. Just 10 pea pods supply 20.4 mg, which represents 34 percent of the recommended daily value. They're a good source of B vitamins, with three percent of the recommended value of thiamin (0.1 mg), pantothenic acid (0.3 mg) and vitamin B6 (0.1 mg). Snap peas have four percent of the daily value of folate (14.3 micrograms). They also supply 0.2 mg of niacin and 0.027 mg of riboflavin, which represents one to two percent DV. They're a good source of the fat-soluble vitamin K (8.5 micrograms or 11 percent DV) and have a smaller amount of vitamin E (0.1 mg or 1 percent DV).
Carotenoids
With 370 IU, snap peas supply seven percent of the daily value of vitamin A. This powerful antioxidant is needed for growth and development, the immune system and vision. The Linus Pauling Institute includes snap peas in the list of the best sources of alpha-carotene (15.0 mcg), and they also have 214 mcg of beta-carotene. You'll gain 252 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants essential for eye health.
Minerals
A good source of manganese and iron, snap peas supply 0.1 mg of manganese and 0.7 mg or iron, which is four percent DV of both minerals. They provide two percent of the recommended daily value of magnesium (8.2 mg), phosphorus (18 mg) and potassium (68 mg), as well as one percent of zinc (0.1 mg) and copper (0.027 mg). Snap peas have 1.4 mg of sodium, which is only a trace amount.
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