Edamame is a soybean product that is harvested at 80% maturity to be eaten as a snack, as opposed to a mature soybean plant used in making tofu or soybean milk. Known for its high nutritional content, edamame is consumed in most parts of the world.
However, it has roots in Asian countries and remains a popular snack in Japanese and Chinese restaurants.
But while you enjoy the edamame, does it ever cross your mind whether you should eat the shells or not?
Can you eat edamame shells? No, you should not eat edamame shells because the skin is tough, it will take such a long time to chew, and it’s not easily digestible.
So next time you’re feasting on edamame, just discard the shells.
Are Edamame Shells Toxic When Consumed?
Maybe you are the kind of person who loves to experiment with various cuisines and recipes, as long as they are not toxic. We would love to provide some helpful information if eating edamame shells is in your next quest.
Eating edamame shells will not introduce toxins to your body. Concerning safety, it is okay. However, it will take you such a long time chewing before you feel ready to swallow them.
The tough texture is what makes them inedible in human beings. Also, our digestive system doesn’t have the juices and mechanism to fully digest the pods and utilize the nutrients into our body. As such, you will use time but not benefit much.
Some people who have tried the edamame shells have explained that it felt like chewing gum and stayed in the mouth for up to ten minutes to feel ready to swallow.
How to Avoid Eating Edamame Shells
Now that you should not eat edamame skin, how can you make sure this happens as you enjoy your snack?
Even if you’re a first-timer, these tips will help you.
Take your time to eat edamame. Put the unshelled snack in your mouth to enjoy the seasoning, use your front teeth to grasp the pod, and remove the cooked edamame bean. Discard the pod and enjoy your bean.
But you may ask why you cannot just remove the pod before eating the bean. The reason is, the seasoning is on the outside since it’s cooked with the skin. Without the shells in your mouth, you cannot enjoy the delicacy.
While this may seem hard at the start, it’s a matter of time, and you’ll enjoy it.
What are the Health Benefits of Edamame?
Whether you are a vegan looking for a nutritious protein or a plus size looking to reduce your carbohydrates, edamame is a great choice.
As a plant-based protein, it’s considered a superfood as it’s packed with essential amino acids. Since its low in carbs, it will not shoot the blood sugar but releases the glucose slowly into the bloodstream. This makes it ideal for people suffering from diabetes or even insulin resistance.
Edamame is an excellent meal if you are looking at weight loss. Since it can lower your cholesterol levels and make you feel full longer, you are less likely to overeat.
Besides that, it supplies your body with healthy nutrients such as vitamin K, iron, manganese, copper, and folate. These are important for a healthy functioning body, more so for pregnant women. Folate helps in the brain development of the fetus and prevents neural disorders, while iron helps maintain the recommended blood levels.
Also, the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in edamame help in keeping diseases at bay. It has also been linked with reducing the adverse effects of menopause or breast cancer.
So, don’t hesitate to include edamame in your diet as often as you can.
How to Prepare Edamame
Edamame, as a type of bean, can be prepared variously like other types of beans. You can get creative in your recipe by eating it as a snack or adding it to salads.
So, how can you prepare edamame? You can boil the unshelled pod for 5 minutes, pan-fry, or even microwave it. In its simplest form, it is seasoned with only salt. However, you can add other ingredients such as garlic, make a puree, or even an avocado dip.
If you want to flavor it with garlic, ensure the garlic in powder form or thoroughly crushed. Mix well and enjoy your snack.
When preparing an avocado dip, clean the avocado and cut it into small pieces. Remove your edamame from the shells and serve together. You can season your edamame with salt, black pepper, or any other spice of your choice.
Finally, you can make a puree from shelled edamame and mix it with cheese to make a delicious snack.
Final Thoughts
- Edamame is an immature soybean that is used as a snack. You enjoy the bean, but you discard the shells.
- You cannot eat edamame shells. The reason is, they have a tough texture, hard to chew, and not easily digested. So you’ll not benefit much by eating.
- You can avoid eating edamame shells by grasping the pod with your front teeth, enjoying the seasoning, and discarding the shell.
- Making edamame part of your healthy diet will help lower cholesterol levels, weight loss, fighting diseases, and keeping women at their best either during pregnancy or even menopause.
- You can prepare edamame by boiling for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, or garlic, making a puree, or even mixing it with cheese. You only need to be creative.