Fiber, iron, and calcium are all present in lima beans. Sugar gliders can occasionally eat them as part of a healthy diet.
Healthy diets require fruits and vegetables. At least 2-4 varieties should be offered.
Can Sugar Glider Eat Lima Beans?
Sugar gliders eat plants and animals. Their food needs variety to give nutrients.
They eat tree saps, gum, nectar, insects, tiny mammals, and other vegetation in the wild. Fruit, flowers, and veggies.
Fresh produce is the foundation of a balanced sugar-glider diet. Feed a cup of veggies daily, divided into two meals, with 2-4 varieties (finely chopped or in a food processor).
Carrots, kale, collard greens, broccoli, green beans, beets, lima beans, peas, and squash are beneficial. Iceberg lettuce is nutritionally useless for gliders.
Nutritional Content of Lima Beans
Low-fat lima beans contain protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates. They’re rich in potassium, iron, magnesium, and vitamin C.
Boiling lima beans has 209 calories, 76% carbohydrates, and 22% protein. These legumes contain B vitamins like folate.
Folate, a necessary co-factor for DNA synthesis and cell division, is found in roughly 20 micrograms per cup of canned lima beans. Pregnant moms and their newborns need it.
Lectins in lima beans, like all beans, may limit iron absorption. Rinsing and boiling lima beans lowers their levels.
Health Benefits and Risks of Lima Beans
Protein, folate, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, potassium, zinc, and selenium are just a few of the nutrients and minerals found in lima beans. Dietary fiber prevents constipation and aids digestion.
Antioxidants in them minimize inflammation and support heart health. Because they are low in carbohydrates and high in soluble fiber, they are good for diabetics.
They are high in folate, which lowers homocysteine and heart disease risk. Magnesium in them relaxes blood arteries and improves blood flow.
Other Alternatives to Lima Beans
Instead of lima beans, sugar gliders can eat sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, collard greens, bok choy, peas, jicama, and red pepper. Pesticides can harm sugar gliders, so wash veggies before feeding them.
Vegetables and fruit should comprise 30% of the diet. * 0.5–1 Tbsp per person of one fresh fruit or vegetable per night, such as kiwi, apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, tomatoes, bell pepper, spinach, melon, bok choy, broccoli, etc.
Conclusion about Eating Lima Beans
Folate, a B-complex vitamin that promotes cell division and DNA synthesis, is abundant in fresh lima beans. They provide little amounts of calcium and potassium for muscle health.
A serving of cooked lima beans contains 35 milligrams of calcium that builds bones and 353 milligrams of potassium that regulates heart and muscle function. Sugar gliders require these nutrients to stay healthy.
Lima beans include proteolytic enzyme inhibitors that can limit and reduce the usage of proteins like trypsin and chymotrypsin, making them unsuitable for sugar gliders. They also contain cyanide-producing molecules (cyanogenic glycosides) that the liver cannot detoxify. These enzymes break proteins into amino acids, digested by the small intestine and absorbed by blood to all body tissues.
