Edamame is the Japanese word for soybeans eaten out of the pod. They are immature beans, blanched in salt water and served at room temperature, and they could be highly addictive for humans. They can be shelled out and eaten right away or dried, seasoned, and had as a healthier snack (because they have more proteins and fewer carbohydrates than many snacks). Edamame is immature soybean and, as such, shares many of the same nutritional characteristics as its more mature version. There is much back-and-forth controversy concerning the health and fitness benefits of soya these days.
Edamame is rich in vitamins, protein, fat, minerals, cellulose, and other nutrients. They also contain various antinutrients or compounds that prevent the body from absorbing certain minerals. Edamame contains compounds that can impair thyroid function by preventing iodine absorption. However, edamame has a low-calories, and sometimes they are not easy to digest. If you eat too much at one time, it may cause symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Does this effect also take place in guinea pigs' stomachs? Can guinea pigs even eat edamame? Continue reading to find out the answer.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Edamame?
Yes, guinea pigs can eat edamame but only in moderation. Edamame can not be eaten raw because it contains a decent amount of toxic substances that can cause serious damage to their health risks. This is why it should be mildly cooked to lower the toxin rate to a state that will not cause damage to their health. Normally, guinea pigs can not eat cooked food, but edamame is different because the acceptable state of cooked edamame will still contain a decent amount of beneficial nutrients needed for a healthy diet for your pets. Examples of such nutrients are fibers, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
In what proportion should edamame be served to guinea pigs
Constant feeding of a particular food to cavies can lead to a lot of various things for your pets, and among them is losing your taste buds to only one meal. To avoid something like this, you need to understand the correct proportion you should feed edamame to your guinea pigs. Since edamame is enriched with nutrients like protein, vitamins, and minerals, it is expected to feed three to four bean seeds or a single pod to your pets once or twice a month depending on the bean size. Also, it is recommended to rotate through a variety of hay and vegetable that has a decent amount of nutrients with edamame in other to obtain perfect health for your pets.
If you are just introducing this edamame to your cavies, you will want to tune down the number of edamame seeds recommended for your cavies to avoid allergy reactions and other positive problems that may arise from feeding them this food.
What are the nutritional benefits of serving edamame to guinea pigs
Edamame is safe to eat, and they offer a lot of beneficial nutrients that can help you keep your guinea pigs diet healthy as possible. Without further ado, the following bullet point below highlight the various benefit you can profit from feeding guinea pigs to your cavies
High in protein
Edamame is a species of soybean therefore their natural characteristics should not be far-fetched from each other. Soybean is enriched with a high amount of protein, and the same thing can be said for edamame. They contain 12% protein, and they are essential for many bodily functions. They also repair and develop the muscle tissue that develops faults. You will also see protein giving shapes to tissue and organs for easy movement and work function.
High in fiber
Edamame is enriched with a decent amount of dietary fiber, and its major function is to aid digestion. Fibre also helps to regulate bowel movements and prevent constipation or other digestion problems. It also helps to keep the digestive problem healthy by lowering the amount of blood cholesterol. Fibre also works with other nutrients to keep weight under control and reduce the risk of serious health risks.
Rich in vitamin C
It should not be news to pet owners that vitamin C is one of the essential nutrients your guinea pigs need. That is why they are naturally drawn to plants that are high in this nutrient. However, edamame has a decent amount of vitamin C and thus, helps to prevent scurry diseases from your cavies. They also help to boost their immune system, and this will protect them from becoming sick.
Possible health risks of serving edamame to guinea pigs
It contains toxic substances
Raw Edamame is known to be enriched with a high amount of lectin (a special type of glycoprotein). This lectin is the toxic substance present in edamame. Feeding it to your pets will cause a lot of damage to the digestive system of your pets. However, excess conditions can lead to immediate death
Digestive problems
If you overcook edamame your guide pigs may experience a lot of digestive problems like diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach upset, and other health issues. This is because guinea pigs' digestive systems can not digest cooked food, and mildly cooking this food is already on another level.
Death
Edamame has a high amount of toxic substances present in them this is why it is recommended to cook it before serving it to them. Feeding raw edamame to your pets may result in serious health risks, but feeding this raw edamame to your pets in excess may result in an immediate date for your pets.
Conclusion
Guinea pigs can eat edamame, but it is only when it is cooked. Yes, the digestive system of guinea pigs is quite sensitive to cooked food, but an exception can be made for edamame if you want to feed it to them. If you are interested in feeding this food to them, you can serve it as snacks or an occasional treat a couple of times a month. The possible health risk associated with feeding this food to your pets has been explained in this article. However, the important thing you should always remember is to cook this food to some acceptable level, and at the same time, not overcook this food to avoid losing the nutrient present in them.
