Edamame is one type of plant in the form of immature soybeans. As many people know, consuming boiled soybeans is one of the foods that many people like. Then what about consuming edamame? Will it have a positive impact on health? Especially for babies? If you are curious you can read this article.
Benefits of Edamame for Baby's Health
Edamame itself comes from China, but nowadays edamame is often served with Japanese and Hong Kong nuances which mean elongated beans. Like soybeans, edamame itself also has very good health benefits, especially for babies, and here are some explanations that you can read.
1. As a Complementary Food Menu for Mother's Milk
As you know that babies who are 6 months old and above of course have been given additional food from their mothers, so you have to provide high nutritional foods such as edamame. However, please note that each baby's age of course the texture it gives is also very different, for more details you can read the explanation below.
For Ages 6 - 8 Months
At this age the baby will begin to get acquainted with foods other than milk, so at this stage the edamame must be really gentle. That's because in order to make it easier for babies to swallow food, you can also make it by mixing it with milk.
For Ages 9 - 18 Months
At this age the baby will be introduced to learning to eat by holding it by himself, so you can give edamame by splitting it into 2. This will make it easier for the baby to hold and of course can make it easier for the baby to consume it.
For Ages 18 - 24 Months
At this age babies are getting better at chewing food, so at that time you can give edamame in its whole form. But please note that always make sure that the edamame skin is not served to the baby, keep an eye on your baby when consuming edamame in its whole form.
For 24 Months
At this age the baby already understands some instructions, so you can give instructions to learn to peel boiled edamame.
2. Does Not Cause Allergies
As you know that worry often occurs in parents who have just given complementary foods to their babies, especially those foods are nuts. Food allergies occur when the body reacts to proteins that enter through the food consumed. Allergic reactions can appear immediately after eating food or several hours after.
The good news is that edamame has a very small risk of causing allergies, which is only 1% of babies who can be allergic to edamame. However, if the baby has an allergy when consuming edamame, it turns out that it can heal itself when the baby has reached the age of 6 years.
3. Contains Many Nutrients
As it is well known that this edamame contains a lot of nutrients, and every 160 grams or one cup of edamame has the following nutrients.
- Energy 224 kal
- Protein 18.4 g
- Fiber 8 g
- Iron 3.52 mg
- Phosphorus 262 mg
- Zinc 2.13 mg
- Folate 458 mcg
- Choline 87.5 mg
- Vitamin K 45.1 mcg
Meanwhile, the benefits of these nutrients for the baby's body are as follows:
Energy or calories
Together with fiber, protein, folate, phosphorus and vitamin K, calories can help babies reduce their risk of developing heart disease in the future.
Protein
Edamame contains a complete protein content. The protein in edamame helps strengthen the cells in the baby's body and accompanies the growth of body tissues.
Fiber
Fiber plays an important role in facilitating the body's digestion, including in infants. In addition, fiber also encourages good bacteria to grow in the intestines, so the intestines become healthy.
Iron
In addition to the benefits of iron for adolescents, it is very much needed by the baby's brain for growth. In addition, iron also helps the baby in reducing the risk of developing fertility problems in the future.
Folate
The content of folic acid, along with vitamin K, iron and zinc, are essential nutrients needed for babies to grow rapidly.
Choline
Choline is a nutrient similar to vitamin B. Choline content in edamame can help babies to have good quality sleep, help coordinate muscle movements, and help babies in the learning and memorizing process.
Vitamin K
Babies actually have little vitamin K content in the body. Therefore, additional vitamin K nutrition is needed so that babies are avoided from VKDB (Vitamin K Deficient Bleeding) or blood disorders.
Those are some of the benefits of consuming edamame for baby's health, but please note that don't give too much edamame to babies, because something that is beneficial if consumed in excess is not good. In addition, if there are signs of allergies, then stop giving edamame to babies. Hopefully this article is useful for you and can provide inspiration for you about complementary foods for mother's milk. Regards