Mung bean

You can serve mung beans once baby is ready for solids, usually around 6 months.

Mung beans are native to South Asia. This small green legume is also called green gram, maash, moong and munggo. Many forms exist. Skinned and split, it is moong dal. Crushed to a paste, it fills sweets such as mooncakes. Ground to flour, it makes dosa or bindae-tteok. Left whole, it is simmered in curries, pilafs and stews. Once sprouted, it brings crunch and juiciness to salads and stir-fries.

Carbohydrate, fiber and protein are plentiful. It also brings iron, zinc, folate, choline, selenium, potassium and the vitamins B6 and K. Together they back up energy, a varied gut microbiome, growth, the brain, healthy red cells, mineral balance, hormones, immunity and taste.

Iron absorption

Pair mung beans with vitamin C foods so baby's body takes up more of the iron.

Mung bean sprouts

Sprouts can be served once baby is ready for solids, as long as they are cooked thoroughly to cut the risk of foodborne illness. Canned sprouts are already cooked. For babies 6 months and older, stir cooked sprouts into scoopable foods. Cooked sprouts on their own are fine for babies who are a little older and have a pincer grasp.

Raw sprouts, whether bought fresh at a store or sprouted at home, are not for babies. Raw sprouts are a frequent source of infections with Salmonella and E. coli. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says people with weak immunity, and those with still-developing immunity such as children under 5, should avoid raw sprouts. Thorough cooking greatly lowers the risk.

At the shop, pick sprouts that look fresh, snap crisply and feel cold, never limp, browned or slimy. Refrigerate right away, wash hands, and do not share cutting boards.

Canned, soaking and lectins

Tinned mung beans, or dried ones cooked all the way through, are fine. Pick ones low in added salt and sugar when you can. If you cannot, do not worry, since baby's nutrition is supported by a variety of foods over time.

Lectins, oxalates, and phytates are natural plant compounds. Soaking and cooking reduce them, and for healthy people eating a balanced diet they are generally harmless. Lectins and oxalates may even offer benefits such as antioxidant activity.

Soaking before cooking is not required, but it shortens cooking, lowers lectin and a gas-causing carbohydrate called raffinose, and makes the beans easier to digest. Overnight method: put 454 g of dried beans in 2.5 liters of water, soak at least 4 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse. Hot method: boil the same amounts for 2 to 3 minutes, switch off the heat, and let them soak for a few hours, then drain and rinse.

Mung beans can be firm raw or undercooked, but they are usually too small to pose much choking risk when prepared for the child's age. In theory any food can cause choking. Stay beside baby, within arm's reach, for the whole meal.

Allergy to mung beans is not common, although some cases have been reported.

Some patients who are allergic to other legumes, for example peanut and soy (both common food allergens), have also been reported to react to this bean. Being allergic to one legume does not mean allergy to the others, although a person with one legume allergy has a higher chance of having a second. Most people with peanut or soy allergy eat other legumes with no trouble.

Birch pollen allergy, or oral allergy syndrome (pollen food allergy syndrome), can bring sensitivity to legumes, mung beans among them. Typically only a brief itch, tingle or burn in the mouth results, and a dangerous reaction is not likely.

Start with a small amount for the first servings. If there is no reaction, raise the amount slowly.