Peas are fairly dense compared to other vegetables though technically they are a legume.
Peas are high in starches and are considered a starchy vegetable like potatoes and squash.
First, let's take a look at the macros. Each of these are listed in grams and as usual, normalized to 200 calories for easy comparison, so we're always comparing apples to apples.
| Peas | Broccoli |
| Nutrient | peas | broccoli |
| Protein | 14g | 17g |
| Carbohydrate | 36g | 39g |
| Fiber | 14g | 15g |
| Fat | 1g | 2g |
| Monounsat. Fat | 0g | 2g |
| Polyunsat. Fat | 0g | 0g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g | 0g |
Next, let's take a look at the Vitamin density. These values are shown in units of percent of recommended daily intake. And since we're showing 200 calories worth, this means anything above 10% is good.
| Nutrient | peas | broccoli |
| Choline | 13% | 26% |
| Vitamin A | 0% | 29% |
| Vitamin C | 1% | 700% |
| Vitamin E | 0% | 38% |
| Vitamin K | 11% | 747% |
Broccoli have significantly more Vitamins A, E, C, K than peas. Peas are a good source of Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Iron. Broccoli are a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Niacin, Magnesium, Zinc. Broccoli are a great source of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron. Broccoli are an excellent source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C.
And here we see the B-vitamins: B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B6 (Pyridoxine)
| Nutrient | peas | broccoli |
| Vitamin B1 | 32% | 42% |
| Vitamin B2 | 9% | 63% |
| Vitamin B3 | 13% | 31% |
| Vitamin B5 | 20% | 67% |
| Vitamin B6 | 7% | 94% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0% | 0% |
Now, lets look at mineral density. Here we have a lot of important electrolytes and minerals. Once again, units are in percent of RDI, thus for this 200 calorie serving anything above 10% would considered high.
| Nutrient | peas | broccoli |
| Sodium | 0% | 13% |
| Potasium | 18% | 53% |
| Calcium | 5% | 55% |
| Magnesium | 17% | 35% |
| Phosphorus | 29% | 67% |
| Iron | 36% | 72% |
| Manganese | 29% | 54% |
| Selenium | 2% | 33% |
| Copper | 31% | 29% |
| Zinc | 18% | 26% |
Both, peas and broccoli are very low in calories and very high in nutrients.
Either one can be boiled in less than 10 minutes and easily added to a bean dish or a salad.
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