twig beans

Did you know that edamame means "twig bean" in Japanese? At least it does according to wikipedia.


As I was eating edamame at lunch this week and it made me wonder what kind of nutrients were in them. I always order them, but lately I want to know more about what I'm eating. I remember coming home at some point in college and my sister as the "cool California girl" had me try these little twig beans. I fell in love with them. I would buy them frozen at the grocery store and make them as a snack while I studied or watched TV (I probably did more of the latter.)

Hoping that I could say my lunch was oh so healthy, I googled (I love that "googled" is now an actual word in our vocabulary) the nutritional information. According to an RD at WebMD.com in just a half-cup serving of shelled edamame you can get:

• 120 calories
• 9 grams fiber
• 2.5 grams fat
• 1.5 grams polyunsaturated fat (0.3 grams plant omega-3 fatty acids)
• 0.5 gram monounsaturated fat
• 11 grams protein
• 13 grams carbohydrate
• 15 mg sodium
• 10% of the Daily Value for vitamin C
• 10% Daily Value for iron
• 8% Daily Value for vitamin A
• 4% Daily Value for calcium

9 grams of fiber is about the same amount you'll find in 4 slices of whole-wheat bread or 4 cups of steamed zucchini. It has almost as much protein as it does carbohydrate. It contains around 10% of the Daily Value for two key antioxidants; vitamins C and A. And for a plant food, it's quite high in iron; it has about as much as a 4-ounce roasted chicken breast.

A great little boost to any day.

{photo from here}