Crunchy, yummy, and good for you, if you’re a fan of Japanese cuisines like stir-fries or sushi, you’re likely familiar with these little green soybeans. Traditionally steamed or boiled, edamame has a long role in human history, first cultivated in China over 7,000 years ago.
Though the oldest known use of the term only dates back to a modest 700 years ago in 1270 by a Japanese monk who wrote a note thanking a parishioner for the gift of edamame.
While it pops up in dishes a lot, one of the best ways to eat edamame is straight from the pod, which has been boiled or steamed and tossed with salt — in Japan, edamame is bleached with 4% saltwater and served without salt.
They make a fantastic snack, and like many snacks, one of the big questions we wonder is if we can share them with our furry best friends. So can dogs eat edamame?
Can Dogs Eat Edamame?
Edamame is non-toxic and can be a healthy human treat to give to your dog. However, this is a good bit of controversy here. That’s because edamame is soy, and soy is one of the top food allergens in dogs.
However, soy is a common protein source in dog foods and is, in fact, the most digestible of the plant proteins, even beating out some animal proteins.
So what’s the deal? Well, let’s break this down step by step *queue the 90s show’s theme song*.
First, unlike wild dogs and wolves, dogs are much more equipped as omnivores vs. straight carnivores. They even have enzymes for digesting plant materials the other canines don’t have.
Second, in one study of 278 food allergies cases in dogs, the biggest food culprit was beef causing a ⅓ of the cases. Soy only caused 13 cases, making it a minimal offender compared to dairy (55 cases) and wheat (42 cases). By far, if your dog is having an allergic reaction to their food, it’s most likely an animal source causing it.
Third, it appears soy is more likely to act as an allergen when the proteins are left intact. Soy in dog foods have been broken into small pieces called hydrolyzed soy, and this breaks the proteins up into the individual amino acids that form them. Your dog digestive system is able to reform these amino acids into proteins without triggering the allergen component. Pretty cool, right?
Fourth and last, edamame has not been broken down, making it more likely that it will act as an allergen if you give it to your dog compared to the soy in their dog food.
Wrapping everything up, we have this. Edamame is likely completely fine to give to your dog, and can even be healthy for them. However, just because your dog has eaten soy in the past and never experienced problems, doesn’t mean the same will happen with edamame.
So, take it slow, and only give your dog a bean or two the first time — depending on their size. If they handle it fine, then next time, it should be OK to give them a bean or two more than before.
As always, consider how many calories are coming from edamame, so you’re not messing up your dog’s diet.
Is Edamame Healthy?
Edamame is an incredibly healthy food as it’s rich in fiber, iron, calcium, antioxidants, vitamin K, Vitamin C, omega-3s, and protein. It’s been found to potentially help with everything from reducing bad cholesterol to stabilizing blood sugar levels to reducing the risk of certain cancers.
Edamame Calories
One cup from cooked edamame beans contains roughly 189 calories. This is a decent amount of calories for a dog, especially if they are on the little side. Remember to always consider how many calories from snacks you’re giving your dog on average when determining how much of their regular dog food you should be giving them. .
Is Edamame Soy?
While they are green and don’t look like the traditional white soybean, don’t be fooled, edamame is nothing more than immature soybeans.
Can Dogs Eat Edamame Beans?
Yes, dogs can eat edamame beans. Make sure to limit how many you give them and watch to make sure it doesn’t cause them any itching or other signs of allergies.
Can Dogs Eat Edamame Pods?
Edamame pods, whether you’re referring to it as the entire casing that holds multiple beans or the thin translucent skin that sticks between the other shell and beans, are not recommended to feed to your dog. The pod is pretty rough and hard to digest and requires a significant amount of boiling to turn them edible.
Can Dogs Eat Edamame Shells?
You shouldn’t give your dog the shell of edamame as it can easily irritate their stomach lining.
Can A Dog Eat Cooked Edamame?
As long as it’s free from salt and other seasonings, there should be no difference giving your dog raw vs. cooked edamame. Just make sure to limit how many you give them like always.
Why Do Dogs Love Edamame?
Dogs love many foods, but it certainly seems they have the affinity for loving foods that contain high protein like edamame. In fact, other animals seem to do the same as house cats are known to chomp down on broccoli, where most other veggies are eww to them — broccoli is an incredible source of protein and roughage just like edamame.
Why does love edamame for sure remains a mystery, but hey, compared to the other things they love, we’re not complaining.
Conclusion
Wow, who knew there was so much to learn about edamame? Since we covered a lot, let’s quickly go over what we learned. First, the big question, is it safe to give your dog edamame?
The answer is a resounding yes. Just make sure you don’t go overboard as edamame has a decent amount of calories, which can chub up your puppy even though they are made up of protein and healthy fats.
Second, is edamame healthy? It sure is! Edamame is loaded with protein, omega fatty acids, and a bunch of other great vitamins and minerals.
Last, is there anything you need to watch out for when giving your dog edamame. When given in moderation, edamame is a pretty safe and healthy treat for our doggos.
Make sure to just give them the beans and not the pod or shell. As well, your dog doesn’t care if the beans have salt or not, so leave it off if you can.
For more on what foods are and aren’t safe for dogs, make sure to stay up-to-date with the Tindog’s nutrition blog.
