I have to admit, it’s not very often that someone asks you if dogs can safely eat edamame. There are not a lot of people in the United States that eat edamame on a regular basis, let alone know of their existence (or name, to be more specific). Honestly speaking, I too was quite unaware of the nutritional value of this bean, as it was not part of my everyday diet.
That was the case though until I’ve done my research and collected information on the wonders of the edamame bean! If there’s one thing that I noticed when looking for data and facts on this topic on the internet, it’s that information about edamame is generally pretty scarce. However, I still managed to find useful information and to study the findings in order to give you the definitive answer to the question.
Can Dogs Eat Edamame?
The short answer to the question is basically yes. You can definitely feed edamame to your dogs without much of a problem. This is mostly attributed to the fact that it’s a whole food that is very healthy and can improve their diet and lifestyle.
A general rule of thumb that everyone should adopt is that whenever you decide to feed a new food to your puppy (especially human food), then it would always be best to supervise him and see how he reacts to the new treat before making it a regular part of his daily diet.
If there’s one thing I am sure about, it is that the general well-being, health, and safety of our dogs are of the utmost importance to us, dog lovers. There are a lot of foods out there, some of which are safe to eat while others are generally unsafe and, to an extent, even toxic to our puppies! I respect those proper dog owners (like you) that take precious time in order to research on the human foods that they can eat. That’s why you’re here right now reading this article!
Whether you have accidentally fed your little buddy edamame beans and are concerned if he’ll be alright, or if you’re planning on feeding edamame to your dog on a regular basis or as an occasional treat, one thing is for sure – this food is safe (and healthy) to be eaten by them!
Before we dive right in and talk about the general health benefits that your dog gets when eating edamame, we should first discuss what edamame beans actually are! Learning more about this bean will allow us to understand why exactly this is safe for them to eat!
Benefits of Feeding Edamame to Your Dog
Surprisingly, edamame isn’t a new type or a different classification of beans; it’s actually immature soybeans in the pod! It has already been proven that soy provides a bountiful amount of nutrition and health benefits, as agreed upon by the numerous animal and scientific researches.
Edamame is a healthy whole food that is loved by both humans and dogs. I’ve listed the following health benefits that are present when you choose to feed them this tasty bean below! Please read on to understand better why this is definitely an ideal snack.
- It helps in weight control and management. Edamame has quite the amount of fats (healthy fats!) and they’re called Omega-3 to be more specific. A substantial fall in the chances of contracting diabetes and obesity has been linked to the consumption of these healthy fats! The majority of dog owners in America have pet dogs that are well over the normal healthy weight. So, if you ever notice that you need to control their weight or maintain his healthy physique edamame beans would definitely help with this!
- It significantly improves heart health. Soy products in general, including edamame, have been correlated with the significant reduction of the bad kind of cholesterol, which in turn means that edamame could potentially help dogs with troubles in controlling their raised cholesterol levels. Isoflavones help expand and open up the different blood vessels, veins, and arteries of them. Through the help of isoflavones that can be found in edamame, these immature soybeans help in battling the risk of them getting heart diseases by hindering the buildup of dangerous plaque inside your puppy’s cardiovascular system!
- It aids in maintaining a good digestive health. Edamame is very rich in dietary fiber, which means that when you feed this food to them, they won’t feel as hungry than if given other foods that have a generally lower dietary fiber content. If your dog feels fuller while eating less calories that means edamame is a great way to control his weight! Fiber promotes a good digestive health by keeping your dog’s feces firm, while also helping them travel through the intestines thus causing regular bowel movements aiding in relieving constipation. Keeping a healthy digestive tract is key in substantially improving your dog’s immune system as well and preventing them from catching other diseases or illnesses.
- It has a high vitamin content. As humans, we require a substantial amount of vitamins and minerals in order to keep healthy. Although dogs don’t necessarily need the same amount of vitamins like us, it’s still good to provide them the much needed quantities in order to maintain their overall health. Edamame is loaded with an abundance of vitamins while also having a small calorie count. The high nutritional vitamin content of edamame is a lot more helpful to them that experience deficiencies in iron, fiber or other vitamins. This is why if you need a way to sneak in those extra vitamins, especially through a non-toxic way, then edamame would make the ideal snack for your dog!
- It is gluten– People nowadays are adopting the gluten-free diet in order to keep, or transition into a healthier lifestyle. With this change, dog owners would eventually want their dogs to have a similar gluten-free diet that mimics their own. Edamame would make a great, hassle-free food choice for them that need to undergo a gluten-free diet!
Ways to Feed Edamame to Your Dog
I’m pretty sure that since you now know the benefits edamame can bring to their health, you’d want to start giving them to your dog right away! Now, before you do so, let me just tell you that there are a number of ways you can prepare and serve edamame for your dog, and I’ve listed them below. The ways you can serve this bean to them are:
- Raw – This is, of course, the easiest way to feed your dog edamame as it requires absolutely no preparation whatsoever! Giving this food raw to your dog won’t pose any health hazards, as long as you don’t forget to wash the edamame before feeding it to your pet. It’s also worth noting that you should always remove the shell beforehand as it isn’t edible.
- Frozen – This method is basically similar to raw, except, well, it’s frozen. Knowing that edamame has quite a short shelf life, it’s not uncommon for them to be stored in the refrigerator when not needed. If your dog loves to gnaw on something crunchy, then this would make as a delightful frozen treat for him!
- Cooked – This method includes steaming, boiling, or anything that takes time in order to prepare the food in a particular way. Out of the choices stated here, I personally think that this would be the best as it is the safest way to ensure that the bean will be eaten by your dog. Just keep in mind that the preparation of edamame for your dog should not be the same as the one for humans. That means you should not add any seasonings like salt or pepper to the edamame when being cooked as this is detrimental to your dog’s health!
- Mashed and Mixed with His Usual Food – Another way you can serve edamame to your dog is by mashing and mixing them with the food that he regularly eats. This is a great way to mix things up for your dog by adding a bit of variety in his diet, while also staying relatively safe by not deviating from his recommended foods. Although you should be cautious of this way of feeding edamame to your dog! You have to absolutely make sure that your puppy loves the bean beforehand, as it would definitely be wasteful to see him not eating what is given to him just because a new food was introduced into the mixture.
Things to Keep in Mind and Conclusion
Even though it’s been stated many times in this article that edamame is a safe food for them to eat, it goes without saying that there should always be precautionary steps taken in order to ensure your dog’s absolute safety and health. This is less about being wary of the food itself, and more about being careful in how you feed the food to your dog.
The most important thing to keep in mind, in my opinion, is moderation. In the end, no matter how healthy edamame can be for your dog, it’s still considered a human food. With that in mind, it should be taken within the owner’s volition to properly manage the intake of the said bean.
Keeping edamame as an occasional snack, as long as it isn’t a regular basis kind of thing, is absolutely fine. The excess intake of these beans could cause gas and the feeling of being bloated, and from personal experience I know how uncomfortable that would be, especially for the dog! So keep it light as much as possible.
When feeding a new food to your dog, it’s important to supervise and watch his reaction very closely. Even though a food that you plan on feeding to them is safe, this doesn’t automatically mean that he will absolutely love it the first time he eats it. Don’t be sad if he doesn’t, that’s why there’s dog food! Just keep an eye out for signs of vomiting, illnesses, and the like.
Saying that, it’s safe to say that you’re very well knowledgeable about this snack! Whether or not you feed this wonderful bean to your dog, is all up to you. In the end, it’s the owner that knows best.
