Pigeon pea vs. Pea — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Calories

Pigeon peas have more calories than green peas. A hundred grams of pea provides 84 calories, whereas a pigeon pea has 121 calories. 

One serving of peas (1 cup or 160g) has 134 kcal, whereas one serving of pigeon peas (1 cup or 168g) provides 203 kcal. 

Protein

Compared to green peas, pigeon peas have more protein. A hundred grams of peas have 5.36g of protein, whereas pigeon peas provide 6.76g.

Pea and pigeon peas contain all essential amino acids. Pigeon pea is higher in all of them except for methionine.

Fats

Pea and pigeon peas contain less than 0.5g of fat per 100 grams. Pea provides only 0.22g of fats, whereas pigeon pea provides 0.38g. Moreover, pigeon peas contain more polyunsaturated fats, whereas peas provide more monounsaturated and less saturated fats.

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Pigeon pea

1

Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.083 g

Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.003 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.205 g

Pea

2

Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.039 g

Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.019 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.102 g

Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat

+101%

Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat	-53%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat	+533.3%

Carbohydrates

Pigeon pea is the winner in carb content.

100g of pigeon pea contains 23.25g of carbohydrates, of which 6.7g are dietary fiber and 16.55g are net carbs.

100g of pea contains 15.63g of carbohydrates, of which 5.5g are dietary fiber and 10.13g are net carbs.

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Pigeon pea

0

Pea

0

Starch: 0 g

Sucrose: 5.22 g

Glucose: 0.13 g

Fructose: 0.41 g

Lactose: 0 g

Maltose: 0.18 g

Galactose: 0 g

Vitamins

Pea has significantly more vitamin A (over 267 times more) and vitamin B5 (over 480 times more). A hundred grams of pea provides 801IU of vitamin A, whereas pigeon pea has only 3IU. In a 100g serving, peas and pigeon peas have 153mg and 0.319mg of vitamin B5, respectively. 

Pea also provides over four times more vitamin B6, 2.5 times more B2 (riboflavin), and 2.8 times more B3 (niacin). In addition, peas are high in vitamins B1 (thiamine), E, and K. Peas provide 14.2 mg of vitamin C, whereas pigeon peas lack vitamin C. In contrast, pigeon pea has over 1.7 times more folate. In a 100g serving, peas and pigeon peas have 63µg and 111µg of folate, respectively.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Pigeon pea

1

Pea

10

Contains more FolateFolate

+76.2%

Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+26600%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+77.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+152.5%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+158.8%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+47862.4%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+332%

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Minerals

Pigeon pea has more magnesium, copper, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and selenium. On the other hand, pea has higher choline, manganese, iron, and zinc. Moreover, pea has less sodium content.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Pigeon pea

5

Pea

3

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+17.9%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+59.3%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+41.7%
Contains more CopperCopper	+55.5%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+52.6%

Contains more IronIron	+38.7%
Contains more ZincZinc	+32.2%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-40%

~equal in Phosphorus ~117mg

~equal in Manganese ~0.525mg

Glycemic Index

The glycemic index of peas is equal to 54. Pigeon pea has a glycemic index of 22.

As we can see, peas tend to have a higher glycemic index than pigeon peas. However, the glycemic index of both falls in the low category.

Insulin Index

While there is no specific insulin index value for pigeon peas, pea has an insulin index of 37. 

Acidity

The potential renal acid load (PRAL) is an approach to assess the acidity of a food. The PRAL number indicates the food's capacity to degrade into acids or bases within the body. The PRAL value of a pea is -0.1, while the pigeon pea has a PRAL level of -2.1. Both are considered alkaline-forming.

Antiinflammatory Properties

Peas and pigeon peas provide bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities (1).

According to the study, ethanol extract and cyanidin-3-monoglucoside of pigeon peas may inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-, IL-1, and IL-6 (2). 

Neuroprotective Properties

Pea provide 480 times more vitamin B5. According to the study, cerebral vitamin B5 deficiency may produce neurodegeneration and dementia in Alzheimer's disease, which may be prevented or even reversible in its early stages by therapy with oral dosages of vitamin B5 adequate to restore brain levels (3).

On the other hand, pigeon peas are high in folate. The nutritional status of a mother's folate is linked to the occurrence of neural tube abnormalities (NTDs) in her children. It is essential to include folate in the diet. To lower the incidence of NTDs during the periconceptional stage, you may take folic acid (a synthetic version of folate) as a supplement (4). 

Anticancer Properties

Cajanol, an isoflavone found in pigeon peas, is being studied for its possible anticancer activities against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. 

The results showed that Cajanol was effective in inhibiting the growth of MCF-7 cells, and this effect was dependent on both the dosage and the duration of exposure. Moreover, the study suggests that Cajanol may induce apoptosis in cancer cells by targeting several key signaling pathways involved in this process (5).

Peas contain some active phytochemical substances (lectins, flavonoids), which may have anticancer properties.

Several investigations have shown that lectins have cytotoxic or tumor-inhibitory effects in several tumor cell lines, including skin, liver, bile duct, and bone cell lines (6).