Feature Articles: Food, Fitness and Cooking and Produce
Edamame is a new, healthy snack
Tammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Barton County University of Missouri Extension
Edamame, (pronounced “eh-dah-MAH-may”) widely eaten by the Japanese, has made its way across the ocean to the United States. So, what is this fancy new delicacy served in Japanese restaurants as an appetizer? Soybeans.
You can find edamame in the freezer with the frozen vegetables. They come still in the pod. The pod has been boiled and salted. You simply thaw the package in the refrigerator overnight, break and squeeze the pod, and pop the beans out into your mouth. You can also buy shelled edamame to add to soups and casseroles and salads but the kind in the pod is more fun to eat.
Edamame is healthy. According to the nutrition facts on a package produced by Seapoint Farms, ½ cup of the shelled beans provides only 100 calories, three grams of healthy fat, 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of dietary fiber. Edamame contains calcium and is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron.
In Japanese, edamame actually means “beans on a branch”. The term “edamame” just recently made it in to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. It is defined as an immature green soybean.
No matter how you define it, edamame is a great food to add to your family’s food repertoire. It’s new, it’s different, and it’s fun. It may be just the thing to get your elementary, middle school, or high school student for a quick snack. Edamame can be just waiting in the refrigerator, ready to grab and go. It also makes a great addition to the school lunch box. Edamame has a great blend of nutrients, which will help anyone fill up, stay full longer and reap the benefits of the other nutrients in the process.
Last update: Tuesday, May 05, 2009
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