Want to give peas a chance — but find them hard to digest? There are a few different reasons these little green orbs can make your stomach uncomfortable. Here are some of the most common ones — plus, how you can keep peas on your plate without any problems.
1. Peas Are High in Fiber
Many of us think of peas as a vegetable. But they’re actually part of the legume family, along with foods like lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, and peanuts. And like other legumes, peas are packed with fiber: Half a cup serves up nearly 6 grams of fiber.
All that fiber is beneficial: It supports your digestive health and helps you stay fuller for longer. But if you’re not used to eating high-fiber foods, a big helping of peas might leave you bloated, gassy, crampy, or even constipated.
That fiber content is the reason that you might notice peas in your poop too. The insoluble fiber in peas passes through the gut without getting digested, which means whole or partial pieces can end up in your stool, says Supriya Rao, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist with Integrated Gastroenterology Consultants in Lowell, Massachusetts.
It’s not a sign that anything’s wrong, but it does indicate that you may need to focus on chewing your food more thoroughly before swallowing.
Fix it: Try adding peas or other fibrous foods to your diet more gradually, rather than having a big helping all at once. That will give your digestive system time to adjust to the roughage, which can reduce symptoms like gas and bloating, Dr. Rao says. Drink plenty of water too: The fiber passing through your gut will absorb the H2O, making your stool softer and easier to pass.
2. They’re Also High in FODMAPs
FODMAPs, which stands for fermentable oligo-saccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, are carbohydrates that quickly change from sugar to gas and chemicals in the gut. For some people, eating high-FODMAP foods can cause digestive symptoms like bloating, cramping, nausea, and changes in bowel habits (like diarrhea).
Many vegetables and legumes contain FODMAPs, including peas. (Other common culprits include leeks, onions, artichokes, red kidney beans, and baked beans.) So, if you’re FODMAP-sensitive, eating large amounts of these foods might make you uncomfortable.
Fix it: FODMAPs are in a lot of foods. Temporarily cutting them out of your diet, elimination-style, can help you figure out which high-FODMAP foods are problematic for you. Then you can gradually reintroduce peas and other FODMAP-rich foods into your diet one at a time. If you notice one food in particular makes you uncomfortable, you’ll know to avoid it or only eat it in small amounts.
3. Peas Can Irritate IBS and Other GI Problems
Having a digestive condition like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) might make you more prone to gastrointestinal (GI) problems from peas. Many people with IBS are sensitive to FODMAPs. FODMAPs can also be problematic for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
Fix it: Low-FODMAP diets may make it easier to manage GI conditions like IBS. Some people with IBD may reap similar benefits.
So, if you suspect peas or other FODMAP-rich foods are an issue, consider talking with your gastroenterologist or dietitian about trying the low-FODMAP diet.
4. Peas Can Be an Allergen
It’s possible to be allergic to peas, and some people with peanut allergies can be sensitive to all legumes, including peas, as well. And while most people think of reactions to food allergens in terms of hives or trouble breathing, it’s also common to experience abdominal symptoms like cramping, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Fix it: If you experience allergic reaction-like symptoms after eating peas, consult an allergist. They can conduct a simple test to confirm your allergy.
Allergic reactions can lead to anaphylaxis, a rare but life-threatening condition marked by shortness of breath, throat tightness, swelling, dizziness, and loss of consciousness. If you or someone else experiences symptoms of anaphylaxis, call 911 immediately.
5. Peas Contain Lectins
Peas aren’t typically eaten raw. But if you happened to pop a bunch of uncooked peas into your mouth, you might notice that you get a little bloated or gassy — or even feel nauseous, vomit, or have diarrhea. That’s because raw legumes like peas, lentils, and chickpeas are high in lectins, naturally occurring toxins that help protect the plants from being eaten by animals.
Fix it: Just cook your peas. Lectins can cause GI discomfort and may interfere with the absorption of nutrients when consumed raw. But cooking neutralizes the compounds, so they won’t mess with your stomach, Rao says.
The Takeaway
Peas are part of the legume family and are high in fiber, which is good for general digestive health but may cause discomfort like gas or bloating if consumed in large amounts quickly.
Peas are also high in FODMAPs, a group of carbohydrates that might trigger digestive issues in certain individuals, including those with irritable bowel syndrome.
Some people are allergic to peas — and experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, along with other allergy indicators, may warrant an allergy test. Any sign of a severe allergic reaction, such as difficulty breathing, should be treated as an emergency.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Lamb B et al. Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis: The Effect of the Low-FODMAP Diet on Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Quality of Life in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. October 2021.
Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.
Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.
Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.
She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.
Marygrace Taylor is a health writer and editor based in Philadelphia. Her work has appeared in publications including Parade, Glamour, Women's Health, Prevention, Redbook, Men's Health, and O, The Oprah Magazine. She's also the coauthor of Eat Clean, Stay Lean: The Diet and Prevention Mediterranean Table.
