Does Pea Soup Have Health Benefits?

As a comforting starter or simple meal on a cool day, pea soup is worth a try. You can buy it ready-to-eat or condensed, or make your own using any kind of peas. Green peas contain many nutrients, including vitamins A, C, folate, and niacin (vitamin B3), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). And eating pea soup that also incorporates other nutrient-dense ingredients will benefit your health when it’s part of a balanced diet.

High in Fiber

A cup of split pea soup provides about 9.7 grams (g) of dietary fiber, according to the USDA. That’s over 34.6 percent of the daily value (DV) for that nutrient, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Fiber may lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colorectal cancers, among other conditions, according to Harvard Health Publishing. The DV of fiber is 28 g per day, but most Americans don’t get that amount.

Dietary fiber has a laxative effect and reduces the risk of constipation. A high-fiber diet also slows digestion, which helps regulate blood sugar and keeps you feeling full. How fiber reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes has been unclear, according to the American Heart Association. But research now suggests that fiber promotes healthy bacteria in the gut and produces substances during metabolism that may help prevent type 2 diabetes.

Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight

If you’re trying to remain at a healthy weight or lose weight, nutrient-dense vegetable soups that are high in fiber and relatively low in calories — like many pea soups — can be part of a balanced diet. One cup of split pea soup has 156 calories, the USDA says.

Limit your calorie intake by making a condensed canned soup with water instead of whole milk, or make your own soup with broth as a base, rather than cream or milk. Make your soup chunkier and more satisfying by adding extra vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, or squash.

Source of Minerals

Split pea soup provides 45.9 milligrams (mg) of magnesium per cup, the USDA says. This is about 11 percent of the DV for this essential mineral, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), making it a good source of the nutrient. Magnesium helps ensure proper muscle function, and it also has a role in regulating blood pressure. Peas are naturally rich in potassium, which regulates the fluids in your body, the NIH says. Each cup of split pea soup has 510 mg of potassium, or about 10.9 percent of the DV, making it a good source. Split pea soup has about 1.1 mg of zinc per cup, or about 10.2 percent of the daily value, making it a good source of this nutrient as well. Zinc can enhance your immune function, the NIH says.

Note that the exact nutritional values in different recipes and brands of pea soup will vary.

More About Pea Soup

A diet high in legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils, may lower your risk of coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Pea soup can help you meet recommendations to eat 1½ cups per week, according to the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Pea soup is often high in sodium — the USDA notes that 1 cup of split pea soup has 622 mg, or about 27 percent of the DV, the FDA says. A high-sodium diet can increase your risk of high blood pressure, which can cause heart disease and stroke. To reduce the sodium in your soup, choose low-sodium canned pea soup, or make your own with low-sodium broth and without adding much, if any, salt.