Yellow Peas

Yellow field peas are grown for their mature dry seeds. Mills may remove the hull, split the seed or grind it before the peas enter a kibble recipe.^6,10

1. 01 // Source Mature yellow peas Field peas ripen before harvest, unlike the immature green peas sold as vegetables.
2. 02 // Process Dehulled or split A mill may remove the seed coat and separate the seed into its halves.
3. 03 // Process Ground if needed Grinding breaks seed cells so starch and protein are more accessible during cooking and digestion.
4. 04 // Output Dry yellow peas Whole, split or ground dry peas arrive for weighing into the kibble recipe.

1. 01

   Supplies cooking starch

   Pea starch cooks during extrusion and helps form kibble. In a controlled dog trial, pea diets supplied digestible starch, though their complete diets digested less well than rice diets.^1,6

2. 02

   Raises plant protein

   Peas add protein to the finished food's crude protein figure. That figure does not reveal how much came from animal ingredients or whether the amino acid mix is balanced.^5,6,8

3. 03

   Provides inexpensive protein

   Plant proteins offer manufacturers a lower cost alternative to animal protein. Dry peas also supply starch, letting one crop fill 2 recipe jobs in grain-free kibble.^5,6

How much A controlled trial fed up to 45% mixed whole pulses, including yellow peas, but did not isolate a usual yellow pea amount.⁹

1. Critics say

   Yellow peas raise protein without adding meat

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Dry field peas average about 24% crude protein. The food's protein guarantee includes every ingredient. A rooster assay identified methionine as yellow peas' limiting amino acid, so the protein figure alone cannot tell you whether the diet is balanced.^5,6,8

2. Brands say

   Yellow peas provide slow release energy

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In a trial of 36 dogs, pea diets produced a later glucose and insulin response than rice or corn diets. That measured response does not show a health benefit for a healthy dog, and the study did not isolate yellow peas.¹

3. Owners say

   Peas cause heart disease in dogs

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A crossover of 8 dogs lasting 28 days found subtle heart changes with a diet containing 58% wrinkled pea flour. A separate trial of 65 dogs lasting 210 days found no cardiac dysfunction. Neither identifies ordinary yellow peas as a cause.^2,3,4,7

4. Critics say

   Yellow peas are just filler

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Dry field peas average about 51% starch and 24% protein. Those nutrients supply energy and contribute to the food's protein figure. Calling peas filler misses their job; how much of the recipe relies on them is the useful concern.^6,8