Pea

Pea is notable for salicylate, FODMAPs, oligosaccharides, histamine, tyramine and nickel. Clear on sucrose, lactose, sorbitol, fructose, oxalates and gluten.

Yes — pea is high in salicylate. Peas sit high on the salicylate scale, which surprises people who class them as a plain vegetable. Cooking does not lower it; the serving size does.

Pea contains moderate levels of FODMAPs. Green peas carry both GOS and fructans, which is unusual - most legumes bring only the first. They are dose-dependent in a way beans are not: a spoonful in a dish passes, a bowl of them as the vegetable does not.

Pea contains moderate levels of oligosaccharides. Green peas carry both GOS and fructans - one of the few foods to bring a chain from each family. That is why they behave in a dose-dependent way rather than being simply avoidable: a spoonful passes, a portion does not. The pea's oligosaccharides are the raffinose family, measured in the seed itself. They are what a legume stores for its own germination, which is why they sit in the seed and not in the pod.

Pea contains only low levels of histamine. Peas carry little histamine dry, and boiling lowers it further - amines leach into the cooking water and are poured away. Sprouting does the opposite: a germinating seed produces amines as it wakes up, so sprouts are a different food here from the pulse they came from. Amounts vary by brand and recipe, so always check the label of the exact product.