You’ve definitely heard of the protein glow-up. And you’ve probably heard of all the benefits of fiber. But carbohydrates? Well, carbs have been having a bit of a PR problem lately.
And yet, tucked inside the humble yellow split peas that we use in our Crunchy Yellow Pea snack is a particularly interesting complex carbohydrate: resistant starch.
Despite the somewhat ominous name, it is not starch that has been trained to resist you. But it does resist being digested in your small intestine, which makes it a particular friend of your gut microbiome.
So, what exactly is resistant starch, and why is everyone suddenly talking about it?
What is resistant starch?
As it turns out, not all starch behaves the same way.
Starch is a carbohydrate made up of long chains of glucose. When we eat many starchy foods, our digestive system breaks those chains down in the small intestine, allowing the resulting glucose to be absorbed.
Resistant starch is different.
It is a type of starch that resists digestion in the small intestine and travels further down the digestive tract, where it can be fermented by the microorganisms in the gut. Because of the way it behaves, resistant starch is often discussed alongside dietary fiber.
In other words, some starch doesn't get invited to the party upstairs.
It heads right to the after party instead.
And this is where things get interesting.
What does resistant starch do in the body?
Here's where resistant starch gets particularly interesting.
Because resistant starch isn't digested in the small intestine, most of it reaches the large intestine. There, gut microorganisms can ferment it and produce compounds called short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate. Butyrate is known to help strengthen the gut barrier, reduce inflammation, support metabolic health, protect brain health and lower disease risk. Pretty amazing.
The focus on resistant starch is beginning to intensify, which will help all of us better understand all the benefits. For now, just being associated with it is good enough for us.
Why are yellow split peas a source of resistant starch?
Yellow split peas are dried peas — the mature seeds of Pisum sativum — and legumes are naturally leading sources of resistant starch.
Research on peas has found that the amount of resistant starch can vary considerably depending on the pea type and how the peas are processed. One thing everyone seems to agree on is that "cooking and cooling" foods with resistant starch increases its effectiveness. And wouldn’t you know, that’s just what we do.
Which brings us to our favorite part:
Our crunchy snack starts with yellow split peas.
That means we're starting with a whole-food ingredient that naturally brings along a rather impressive nutritional toolkit — including plant protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and naturally occurring resistant starch.
We didn't invent yellow split peas.
We just got lucky.
Why we love yellow split peas as a snack
This is really the story behind our obsession.
We started with an ingredient that has been around for a very, very long time.
A humble yellow split pea.
Nothing exotic, no complicated ingredient list required.
This is one of the things we love about using a whole-food ingredient rather than trying to engineer a snack around a list of isolated ingredients.
Just a little legume that happens to contain plant protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, and naturally occurring resistant starch — and that can be transformed into something crunchy, savory, and genuinely snackable.
And that's our favorite kind of nutrition story.
The kind where the interesting part was already there.
We just had to roast it.
Ready to join the Resistance?
Our roasted Crunchy Yellow Peas Variety Pack lets you explore every flavor in one satisfying snack. Packed with plant protein, fiber, and crunch.