Pass the peas… please!!!

We are always reminded to reduce our sugar, salt, and saturated fats. But what we aren’t always told, is what minerals and vitamins we may likely be missing from out diet. Elements like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, are so important, a deficiency can drive up blood pressure, and cause hypertension. In the same way that too much sodium causes hypertension, too little calcium, magnesium, and potassium can also be a risk for hypertension. The typical American diet contains about 3400mg of sodium, while the recommended guidelines are 1500 – 2300 mg a day (the lower end would be for those aged 51 or older) This excess of dietary sodium, is actually displacing our intake of other healthy minerals. Just as we are beginning to realize this deficiency, there is a cure! Food of course! One of the most ideal foods for replenishing these nutrients is the sweet pea. Certainly the pea is one of the most easily overlooked but highly nutrient rich foods available. It contains all of the vitamins and minerals mentioned above to help lower blood pressure, as well as fiber and proteins that alters the gut microbiome in a healthy way. Amid growing concerns over GMO’s, food manufacturers are now turning away from soy, since it has become a staple GMO crop, to the pea, as the protein additive of choice. Still untouched by GMO methods, it remains a power food without carrying the risks of being tainted heavily by herbicides. Chef Holly has created one tasty sweet pea recipe, look for ‘sweet pea crostini’ in our recipe section. We know that even back as early as 3000 BC during the Bronze Age peas were found in archaeologic villages of Switzerland. So whether you prefer your peas, cooked up in a soup or a blended in a crostini, it will provide you with the nourishment that bolstered the generations before us.