This tasty bean is growing in popularity as a healthy and nutritious snack, particularly among the college crowd – and for good reason. When compared to other snacks, edamame leads the pack in terms of nutritional value.

Edamame is a green vegetable more commonly known as a soybean, harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the “hardening” time. The word Edamame means “Beans on Branches,” and it grows in clusters on bushy branches. To retain the freshness and its natural flavor, it is parboiled and quick-frozen. In East Asia, the soybean has been used for over two thousand years as a major source of protein. Edamame is consumed as a snack, a vegetable dish, used in soups or processed into sweets. As a snack, the pods are lightly boiled in salted water, and then the seeds are squeezed directly from the pods into the mouth with the fingers.

Edamame is an excellent source of low-calorie protein which makes it a popular snack among vegetarian athletes. A half-cup of these young beans has eleven grams of protein and is one of the few vegetarian protein sources that have all nine of the essential amino acids the body can’t make. The fat in edamame is the heart-healthy kind, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that help to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. Plus, they’re a caloric bargain at only125 calories. We have been using Edamame as an “after workout re-fuel”, packed with protein you can’t go wrong and it’s delicious!!!  Give it a try you can find it in your grocers “Natural” or “Organic” frozen section.