Split Pea Soup - Can I make it?

[WildChildGoneGood]

I tried to search this forum before asking... but is homemade split pea soup Whole 30 compliant?

 

I know sugar snap and snow peas are okay - I've already done a round of W30 (in June), but am ready to start another round.  I love split pea soup and I know I can make it with compliant chicken broth (that I make myself), so really the peas are the question.  

 

Where does this land in the W30 can I have it category?

 

Thanks!

 

Beki

[Brewer5]

Sugar snap peas and snow peas are allowed because they are still in their pod -- providing a lot of bulk and fiber there, beyond just the tiny peas.

 

Split peas are most definitely a legume, and would be out for a Whole 30.

[ShannonM816]

Peas are legumes and not allowed on Whole30.

 

The reason snap and snow peas and green beans are allowed is that they are more pod than seed, and it's the seed that is the problem.

[decker_bear]

On 11/19/2015 at 3:04 PM, ShannonM816 said:

The reason snap and snow peas and green beans are allowed is that they are more pod than seed, and it's the seed that is the problem.

I completely remember reading about this in the book. I'm not trying to be a brat here, but if split pea soup is not allowed because it is primarily the seed that is the problem, how is that any different than eating another food item that is "mostly" compliant but has a tiny amount of an off-plan ingredient? Again, not being bratty, just trying to understand. Like the original poster I was wondering about split pea soup myself, which is how I found this post. I get it - the seed (legume) is the problem, but just wondering why snap peas are okay because they are "more pod than seed" (compliant, even though some snap peas have bulging peas in them - yummy!), but say, a vegetable soup that may have "less than 2% of...corn starch" is not okay. Same concept, isn't it? It's primarily veggies and other compliant ingredients, and it's the corn starch that makes it "out." Peas in a pod are okay, but peas not in a pod are out. If it's just a matter of bulk and fiber, would it be "more compliant" if, say, zucchini was added to the soup? 

Truly, I would love any insight into this. I'm one of those people that need things to make sense, and this does not. If it's just "because rules," then okay. But understanding the "why" will help me. 

[MeadowLily]

You've answered your own question.  It's the same premise as using fruit juice for cooking purposes only and not swilling it by the glass.  Fruit juice by the glass is almost all sugar and fruit by the piece has fiber.  Peas by the pod have fiber and peas without the pod in pea soup are just like the fruit juice. 

[decker_bear]

I guess I'm still missing something then, because I don't feel like I did answer my own question. 

One - I totally get the fruit versus fruit juice analogy and how it relates to Whole30 concepts with the peas. That does help put it in perspective for sure, and I can see how it relates to split pea soup versus snap peas. So thank you for that. 

But - if it's the pea itself that is "off plan," how is eating a snap pea compliant, but eating a veggie soup with "less than 2% of...corn starch" non-compliant? In both scenarios it's just a small amount compared to the bigger whole, and there's more bulk and fiber in a veggie soup than corn starch, and both still contain an off plan component. 

I hope the part I'm struggling with makes more sense wording it this way. 

It's okay. Like I said, I'm not trying to be a brat. I'll just categorize it under "because rules" and go with it. 

[ladyshanny]

It really is just one of those "rule" things. Interesting note though, I eat a lot of snow peas and I always shy away from the ones that are really bulgy peas in the pod. Because the idea behind snow and snap peas being allowed is that the pea is very immature and hasn't fully developed, perhaps lessening it's impact on our bodies. I have a terrible time eating anything with actual shelled peas or pea protein, bothers my stomach a lot. 

Also, don't forget that when Melissa wrote this program it wasn't ever intended to be the worldwide sensation it is now with people questioning all the intricacies of it. She included snow and snap peas and green beans because they are healthful, green vegetables. Eating legumes as a protein source or relying on them as easy filler is what they were trying to avoid. And as the thing snowballed, those rules stuck.   

[MeadowLily]

Here's the difference between all of the peas.  I cannot overthink the peas.  If I do that, then I question larabars that walk like ducks and quack like candy bars. 

http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-snow-peas-sugar-snap-peas-and-english-peas-ingredient-intelligence-205118

[decker_bear]

@ladyshanny that makes PERFECT sense: included because they are healthful green vegetables (whereas other off-plan ingredients like corn starch, not so much). I also think about what Melissa said about certain things, "We have to draw the line somewhere."

As far as not over thinking, @MeadowLily it's a great point. That said, those of us who are Green personalities need things to make sense. If it doesn't, we need to know why - everything is a puzzle to be solved. But it is good to be reminded that's exactly what I was doing. Even accepting "because rules" is sometimes tough, but I can accept that a little more readily than another explanation that just doesn't seem logical. 

Thank you both for your input. I feel at peace with this topic now, lol 

[MeadowLily]

Hilarious, really.  I asked my husband the la difference and he said you would have to buy a dump truck full of snowpeas to make your soup.  If you could afford it and had the patience to pick those tiny specs out of the pods, you might end up with a cuppa soup.