These little legumes can help you eat less yet feel nourished. Green peas are bursting with nutrients and provide very good amounts of eight different vitamins and seven different minerals. One cup packs in an impressive seven grams of fiber, leaving you feeling full for hours after mealtime and delivers eight grams of protein which is more then a large egg. Protein takes longer for the body to digest then carbs, and it requires more energy so you are naturally burning calories in the process. Plus, they contain resistant starch, a special kind of starch our bodies don’t digest. It goes through the stomach and small intestine undigested and feeds the friendly bacteria in the intestine. Other health benefits, like all green food, peas contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that can help prevent chronic disease.

Fresh or Frozen, these little guys are a clever way to boost protein in smoothies, soups, and pasta.  For your morning smote, blend a handful of peas with avocado, banana, and almond milk. You won’t even taste the peas.