Last Updated on March 24, 2021 by Dogs Vets
Can dogs eat green beans
One thing we all know is that the more green vegetables we include in our own diets, the better, but what about our dogs’ diets? “can dogs eat green beans?” Green beans, which are rich in vitamins A, K, and C, as well as fiber and folate, are an important part of any diet – and as it turns out, this is just as true for our pups as it is for us!
What is green beans?
Green beans are the unripe, young fruits of various varieties of the common bean]. Immature or young pods of the showy bean are used in a similar manner. Green beans are known by many common names, including green beans, beans, beans, and the French name for green beans is haricot vert.
They are also known as baguio beans in the Philippines. Green beans are eaten all over the world and are sold fresh, canned and frozen. They can be eaten raw or steamed, boiled, fried or baked. They are commonly cooked in other dishes such as soups, stews, and casseroles. Green beans can be pickled just like cucumbers.
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They differ from the many other types of beans in that green beans are harvested and eaten with their pods enclosed before the bean seeds inside have fully matured.
The benefits of green beans for dogs
Veterinarians have been recommending green beans as a safe and healthy snack for dogs for years. That’s because green beans are not only full of that good nutrition, but they’re also incredibly low in calories and have a crunchy texture and slightly sweet taste that most dogs really enjoy.
Whether your dog needs to lose some weight and you’re looking for an alternative to refined, high-calorie cookies or you’re just looking for unique ways to sneak healthy foods into your furry friend’s diet, green beans are an excellent choice.
Can dogs eat green beans? – Smart snacking
As with any human food you give your dog, it’s important to put safety first. If your dog has never had green beans before, introduce them slowly and watch closely to make sure everything goes well. The high fiber content in these green vegetables can be less than ideal for dogs with already sensitive stomachs (although it can be beneficial for those with gastrointestinal or intestinal issues). The key here is to take your time introducing green beans and let your dog take the lead on how you proceed. If they don’t like them or don’t respond well, there’s no reason to force it.
What about the “Green Bean Diet?”
Diets are not relegated to the human world. You may have heard of the Green Bean Diet for dogs, where 10% of your dog’s traditional diet is swapped for green beans and gradually increased to 50%. The idea is that this supports rapid weight loss for overweight dogs, especially those who have difficulty losing weight through other methods.
What’s the verdict? As with any trendy, restriction-heavy diet, it’s not a solution for long-term weight loss – and it may even be detrimental to your dog’s health. While green beans contain many important vitamins and minerals, they lack many of the essential nutrients that make up a balanced dog diet, including protein, and this can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies for your dog. It’s also not sustainable. Once you get your dog back on a proper diet, they will almost certainly gain the weight back.
Here’s how to feed your dog green beans.
Now that we’ve hopefully put to bed the idea of feeding your dog lots of green beans, let’s look at some ways you can give them some of the good stuff without going overboard.
First, give your dog only plain green beans. Salt, sugar and other spices can irritate your pup’s tummy and cause digestive problems. Keeping this in mind, you can feed your dog canned, steamed, boiled, baked, dehydrated or raw green beans. In either case, trim off any stringy ends and cut each green bean into a piece suitable for your dog before feeding. Many local health food stores also sell pre-made green bean treats if you prefer to just buy them and go.
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When feeding your dog green beans for weight loss, use it as a substitute for treats instead of a substitute for all or part of a meal. And since low-calorie snacks alone usually aren’t enough to help with weight loss, boost your efforts by giving your dog plenty of exercise. Also, work with your veterinarian to develop a daily diet that meets your dog’s nutritional needs while reducing daily caloric intake.
Other ways to feed your dog green beans
If your dog has concerns about eating a green bean on its own, try adding it to the diet in a different format. For example, mix canned green beans into your favorite homemade recipe or chop them, mix with plain yogurt and freeze in an ice cube tray for quick and easy pupicles.
Regardless of how you feed them, chances are your dog will enjoy the addition of green beans to his rotation.
Green Beans Nutrition Facts
Below is the nutrition information for a cup of raw green beans:
- 31 Calories
- protein: 2 g
- fiber: 2.7 g
- sugar: 3.6 g
- vitamin K: 43 mcg
- thiamin: 0.1 mg
- niacin: 0.7 mg
- vitamin B-6: 0.14 mg
- vitamin E: 0.41 mg
- calcium: 37 mg
- iron: 1.03 mg
- magnesium: 25 mg
- phosphorous: 38 mg
- potassium: 211 mg
- zinc: 0.24 mg
When are green beans considered to be bad for dogs?
When a dog is served raw with green beans, they can cause tummy upset. This is caused by lechitin proteins found in most beans. Cooking the green beans eliminates these proteins, so a quick steam will solve this problem completely.
It is also important to note that green beans contain very few lechitins, so one or two raw beans should not be a big deal.
However, cooking green beans also opens up room for problems. If you are serving the green beans to both your guest and your dog, there may be a conflict of interest, as we humans like to cook our vegetables with butter, salt, spices and onions. Many of these ingredients are not good for dogs.
Onions can cause blood problems, while lots of butter and salt can damage your pup’s heart. If you plan on throwing your dog some beans, make sure they are plain!
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Reference: Thesprucepets.com and Rawbistro.com and
