Edamame
Other names Green soybeans
Edamame: moderate in FODMAPs, oligosaccharides and nickel; low in histamine and oxalates. If you're sensitive to any of these, check it against your profile before eating.
Intolerances
- FODMAPsModerate
Edamame is the soya bean picked immature, and the GOS accumulate as the bean matures - so edamame measures below the dried soya bean it would have become. Jiang compared 54 edamame lines with the mature soybean of the same line and found the mature seed highest in stachyose, the dominant GOS of soya, then unshelled-dried edamame, then shelled-dried. The usual serving is also small, because they are eaten from the pod one at a time.
Sources· 2
- Jiang G-L et al., J Sci Food Agric 100 (2020) 3987-3994, seed sugars in edamame against mature soybeans
- it ranks the three without publishing a stachyose figure, and the edamame it measures is oven-dried rather than fresh
- OligosaccharidesFODMAPsModerate
Same reason as the FODMAP level: the GOS accumulate as the soya bean matures, and edamame is picked before that is finished. Less time on the plant means fewer chains.
Sources· 1
- Švejstil R. et al., Sci Agric Bohem 46:2 (2015) 73-77, raffinose-series oligosaccharides in soybean products
- NickelModerate
Edamame is the soybean harvested green, before it has finished loading. It carries less nickel than the mature bean and rather more than a green vegetable - which is what it is usually mistaken for.
Sources· 1
- Noel L et al., Food Chemistry 132 (2012) 1502-1513, second French Total Diet Study, nickel among nine trace elements
- Histamine (+liberators / DAO inhibitors)Low
Edamame is the soybean picked green and eaten cooked, before any fermentation or germination, and fermentation is what builds histamine. That is the whole difference between it and the soy ferments at the top of this axis.
- OxalatesLow
Edamame is not a dry bean, which is the whole of its position here: it is a soybean picked green and boiled in the pod, so the water treatment that lowers oxalate in the dry pulses has already happened by the time it reaches you, and the pod is not eaten. That is why it sits below the dried soybean it would have become. Salted in the pod, the salt stays outside; podded and stirred through a dish, you are eating the bean itself.
Sources· 2
- Chai W & Liebman M, J Agric Food Chem 53 (2005), 3027-3030, which measured 30-87 % loss of soluble oxalate on boiling
- Noonan S.C. & Savage G.P., Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 8 (1999) 64–74, soaking and cooking reduce oxalate by leaching
- LactoseFODMAPsNone
- GlutenNo
- FructoseFODMAPsNone
- SorbitolFODMAPsNone
- SucroseNone
- TyramineNone
- SalicylateNone
Intolerance levels are based on our documented scientific sources. See sources →
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Frequently asked questions
Which intolerances does Edamame affect?
Edamame is notable for FODMAPs, oligosaccharides, nickel, histamine and oxalates. Clear on lactose, gluten, fructose, sorbitol, sucrose, tyramine and salicylate.
Does Edamame contain FODMAPs?
Edamame contains moderate levels of FODMAPs. Edamame is the soya bean picked immature, and the GOS accumulate as the bean matures - so edamame measures below the dried soya bean it would have become. Jiang compared 54 edamame lines with the mature soybean of the same line and found the mature seed highest in stachyose, the dominant GOS of soya, then unshelled-dried edamame, then shelled-dried. The usual serving is also small, because they are eaten from the pod one at a time.
Does Edamame contain oligosaccharides?
Edamame contains moderate levels of oligosaccharides. Same reason as the FODMAP level: the GOS accumulate as the soya bean matures, and edamame is picked before that is finished. Less time on the plant means fewer chains.
Does Edamame contain nickel?
Edamame contains moderate levels of nickel. Edamame is the soybean harvested green, before it has finished loading. It carries less nickel than the mature bean and rather more than a green vegetable - which is what it is usually mistaken for.
Does Edamame contain histamine?
Edamame contains only low levels of histamine. Edamame is the soybean picked green and eaten cooked, before any fermentation or germination, and fermentation is what builds histamine. That is the whole difference between it and the soy ferments at the top of this axis. Amounts vary by brand and recipe, so always check the label of the exact product.
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