Of course, cauliflower for a child - 1 or 10 years old - is an important part healthy diet... However, before introducing dishes from it into the menu, it is worth remembering the old principle: everything is good in moderation. Each component baby food must be thought out.

29.11.2016 1010 2

The beautiful cabbage brought to our area several centuries ago from Malta has long proved its leading position in the list of the most useful products... Cauliflower is especially good for children.

Recently, search engines have been quite popular, for example, queries such as cauliflower for a 1 year old baby are not surprising. Besides the beneficial effects on health, it is tasty and easy to prepare.

Cauliflower for children beauty and benefits in one package.

The inflorescences of this vegetable are not only appetizing in appearance, but also have many attractive properties:

• a record iron content, as well as vitamin C: twice as much as in lemon. Iron-containing foods help maintain blood hemoglobin at the proper level, and vitamin C is an important link in strengthening the immune system. What is needed for the child to grow up healthy and miss school or kindergarten as little as possible because of a cold;
• any gastroenterologist will confirm: there is nothing better for good digestion. The fiber contained in the inflorescences promotes optimal bowel function. This is a very significant factor in the first years of life, when the baby is often disturbed by stool disorders. And the enzymes secreted during their digestion help the assimilation nutrients from other products and the development of good microflora;
• if we talk about vitamins and trace elements, then cauliflower is a real treasure for children. Vitamin A is indispensable for vision. Folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, is actively involved in the formation of the nervous system, which is especially important in early childhood. Potassium, the daily requirement of which is contained in only 300 grams of this vegetable, is necessary for the normal functioning of the heart;
• pronounced anti-inflammatory properties. In folk medicine, there are many recipes with its use, which are used both for local inflammations (gums, oral cavity), and for general diseases of the body, colds, viral infections;
• polluted city air, drinking water is not of the best quality, antioxidants help to cope with all these delights of modern ecology. There are especially many of them in cauliflower;
• Cauliflower has a number of advantages over its white and broccoli counterparts, which come to the fore when it comes to baby food. For example, it does not produce as much gas and is less likely to cause colic.

The list of positive properties of this vegetable can be continued almost indefinitely. Scientists continue to research the impact different products on the body and in the near future will surely surprise us with new information about what else cauliflower can be useful for children.

Contraindications and negative aspects is it all that simple?

Certainly, cauliflower for a child 1 or 10 years old is an important part of a healthy diet. However, before introducing dishes from it into the menu, it is worth remembering the old principle: everything is good in moderation. Each component of baby food must be thought out. First of all, care must be taken if the baby has a tendency to allergies: in this case, a pediatrician will help to clarify the possibility of introducing new dishes.

The ideal time to introduce cauliflower into complementary foods is after 6 months.

The use of this vegetable is contraindicated in pathologies of the thyroid gland. Gout and hypertension are rare diseases in childhood, but cauliflower should also be avoided if present. Ulcers and chronic bowel diseases can be exacerbated by excessive enthusiasm for any vegetables from the cabbage family.

When is the best time to add cauliflower to your diet?

At what age is cauliflower most useful for a child 1, 3, 5 years old? In fact, the ideal time to introduce it is after 6 months. If the baby was bottle-fed, you can do it 3-4 weeks earlier. In any case, the main thing is to follow the basic principles of introducing complementary foods:

• start with small portions: half a teaspoon a day. Gradually increase the amount up to a maximum volume of 150-200 grams;
• one new type of food is introduced at a time. The intervals between the introduction of different types of complementary foods should be 1-2 weeks. It is advisable to give new products in a mixture with previously tried ones;
• initially, complementary foods must be prepared in the form of mashed potatoes. For babies over 8 months old, cauliflower can be used in soup, stew, or served as a stand-alone dish.

How should cauliflower be prepared for a baby (1 year old)?

You can buy fresh or frozen cauliflower in shops and markets. Use fresh for baby food. pay attention to appearance head of cabbage: visible damage, black spots are unacceptable, the color must be even. Before cooking, soak it in cold water for a while from half an hour to two hours. Then rinse thoroughly and disassemble into individual inflorescences.

Cauliflower dishes cannot be cooked in metal dishes, only enameled ones are suitable. The inflorescences are boiled for a short time up to ten minutes in salted water. Then, depending on the selected recipe, you can complete the preparation of a tasty and healthy meal as follows:

• chop the boiled inflorescences in a mixer or blender, gradually adding the broth remaining after cooking. Then you get mashed potatoes: it is also suitable for children under one year old;
• to make a soufflé, add a little milk, butter and yolks to chopped cabbage. Whisk, stir with egg white and send to the oven either water bath... Children love this dish very much;
• and if you add cream and salt to the puree, then sprinkle with grated egg yolk, you get a delicious cream.

Cauliflower can also be cooked in combination with courgettes, carrots, onions, and other vegetables. Separate culinary skill level pudding and cauliflower under cheese sauce... However, these dishes are more suitable for older children. V children's menu the first years of life, simple, easy-to-digest food is desirable.

Easy to prepare, delicious and nutritious cauliflower great option for parents who want to teach their baby to healthy eating from childhood.

Beneficial features

• protein;
• alimentary fiber;
• a wide range of vitamins - the whole group B, PP, A, E, C, D;
• micro and macro elements;
• acids necessary for the growth and development of the baby - folic, tartronic, omega-3, etc.

The value of cauliflower for the nutrition of children under one year old is that it does not contain coarse fiber, which is poorly absorbed by the child's underdeveloped digestive system. In addition, this vegetable belongs to hypoallergenic products, since its intolerance is extremely rare.

Introduction to the infant's diet of cauliflower dishes:

• helps to improve intestinal motility, active elimination of toxins;
• helps the development of beneficial microflora necessary for proper digestion;
• has a beneficial effect on heart tissue and blood vessels;
• strengthens the nervous system;
• replenishes iron deficiency (prevention and treatment of anemia);
• reduces the risk of inflammation.

Due to the absence coarse fibers, cauliflower is easily digested without provoking increased gas production and. Moreover, this particular product is recommended to be used to normalize digestion.

Contraindications

There are practically no contraindications except for individual intolerance.

But it is important to know that an excess of cauliflower in the diet of a baby under one year old can:

• provoke allergies;
• increase the acidity of gastric juice and irritate the walls of the stomach;
• cause inflammation of the intestinal mucous membranes;
• disrupt kidney function;
• cause an enlargement of the thyroid gland (endemic goiter).

Complementary feeding rules

Please note: if the child is underweight, you should start complementary foods with porridge, and add vegetable dishes from 7 months. Tartronic acid, which is part of cauliflower, interferes with the deposition of body fat.

The first serving of vegetable complementary foods is half a teaspoon of mashed potatoes. The baby can be immediately supplemented with breast milk or formula, then the cauliflower is better absorbed. If within two days there are no signs of allergies and indigestion, the next time the portion is increased to one teaspoon, and within a week it is brought to 40 g.

Up to 150 g mashed potatoes, at 8, increase the volume of the dish to 180 g, and one-year-old children and older are given a portion of 200 g. If you want to accustom your baby to a new dish gradually, at first mix cauliflower puree with a small amount of breast milk or mixture.

The body of a six-month-old baby may not be ready for vegetable feeding, in which case there is increased gas production, diarrhea or constipation, and colic. In this case, cancel complementary foods and try again after a couple of months, during which the baby's gastrointestinal tract will get stronger and adapt to other products.

Buying and storing a vegetable

The freshness of cauliflower is indicated by:

• density of inflorescences, even color - almost white, greenish or yellowish;
• green leaves around the head of cabbage (yellow wilted leaves indicate that the vegetable is stale);
• the absence of dark spots on the inflorescences (they indicate damage to the product).

In winter, this vegetable is sold frozen, disassembled into inflorescences. Cabbage pieces should be white or yellowish in color. Gray tint and a large number of ice in the bag speaks of improper storage - the cabbage was thawed and re-frozen. Such a product is unsuitable for a child's nutrition, he has lost the bulk of the nutrients.

Fresh heads of cabbage can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. If you don't plan on cooking cauliflower during this time, disassemble it into florets, rinse them, dry them and put them in the freezer in a plastic bag or freezer container.

Mashed potatoes

Cauliflower puree for a child is prepared different ways... First of all, fresh inflorescences are washed and placed in a container, filled with salted water, for 30 minutes. This cleans the product of insects hiding inside the flowers and chemicals. The frozen product does not need to be thawed and processed.

Heat treatment options:

1. Prepared inflorescences are dipped in boiling water and boiled for 5 to 10 minutes, covered with a lid. It is important not to overcook the vegetable, otherwise it will lose a lot of nutrients. When the inflorescences are soft, remove them with a slotted spoon, do not pour out the broth yet.
2. The inflorescences are placed on the upper tier of a double boiler and cooked for 12-15 minutes. This method allows you to preserve a maximum of vitamins and minerals.
3. Place the cabbage pieces in a glass saucepan and add a little hot water... Cover the saucepan with a suitable lid, put it in the microwave and cook for 6-7 minutes at maximum power.

Grind the softened inflorescences through a sieve or grind with a blender. You should get a homogeneous puree, into which a little vegetable broth is added, bringing to a semi-liquid consistency. Vegetable oil is introduced into mashed potatoes, 1-2 ml can be added, starting from the second week of complementary feeding. The optimal amount of oil is 3 g per 150 g puree.

Cauliflower for children - simple recipes

The baby will love the soup made from cauliflower and other vegetables to which he is already adapted. You can easily prepare the soup: boiled vegetables are chopped with a blender, the resulting puree is diluted to the desired consistency with broth. This soup is cooked not only in water, but also in broth made from meat, poultry or fish.

Babies from 9-12 months can be given boiled cauliflower inflorescences without crushing them. This allows you to introduce new dishes into the diet, one of which is stewed cabbage.

Recipe 1. Stewed cabbage with tomatoes.

Pour some vegetable oil into the pan, heat it up, put finely chopped onion and pieces of cauliflower. Fry over medium heat, then add some water, simmer under a closed lid for about 10 minutes. Blanch the tomatoes in parallel in boiling water. Add the tomatoes to the cabbage and simmer together for another 5-7 minutes. Add dry dill at the end.

Recipe 2. Stewed cabbage in sour cream.

Boil the inflorescences for 5 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and place them in a preheated skillet with butter and chopped, lightly fried onions. Add a tablespoon of semolina, fry everything together for 2-3 minutes. Then add 4-5 tablespoons of sour cream, stir and simmer for 10-12 minutes over low heat. The more sour cream, the more tender the cabbage will turn out.

Soup with meatballs.

Put small pieces of carrots, potatoes, cauliflower inflorescences, a small onion in a saucepan with water (they are removed after cooking). When the water comes to a boil, add the meatballs from the ground minced chicken with onion. Cook the soup until the meatballs are done. Use dry dill and parsley as spices.

Simple recipes healthy dishes with cauliflower will add variety to the baby's menu.

Cauliflower puree for babies can be given in complementary foods as early as 6 months, for children on artificial or mixed feeding - at 4 months. Cauliflower- a storehouse of vitamins, minerals and useful acids. At the same time, it is safe for the child, since it rarely causes allergies and has a mild effect on digestion. In this article, we will learn the health benefits of a vegetable and look at a recipe for mashed cauliflower for babies.

Properties of cauliflower

Cauliflower is easy to digest and digest, does not impair the work of digestion and does not disturb the stool, does not lead to increased gas formation. Therefore, the vegetable is given in the first feeding for the baby immediately after the introduction. In addition, it performs a number of useful functions:

• Saturates the body with important vitamins and elements, gives vigor and energy;
• Strengthens the immune system and is an effective prevention of colds. By the way, this vegetable contains much more vitamin C (ascorbic acid) than citrus fruits;
• Improves and restores bowel function;
• Removes toxins and cleanses the body;
• Promotes the development of nerve cells;
• Prevents the appearance and development of anemia, replenishes iron deficiency;
• Strengthens the heart and blood vessels;
• Improves visual acuity;
• Relieves inflammation;
• Reduces the risk of cancer.

In rare cases, cauliflower can cause food allergies. In addition, when abused, it increases the acidity of gastric juice and enlarges the thyroid gland, leading to inflammation of the intestinal lining and impaired kidney function. However, this can be easily avoided if you adhere to the rules for the preparation and consumption of the vegetable.

How to add cauliflower to complementary foods

• Cauliflower puree is included in the infant's diet at 6 months after the introduction of zucchini. If the baby is gaining poorly, the vegetable is given at 7 months after the introduction of dairy-free and gluten-free cereals (rice, buckwheat and corn porridge);
• Start complementary foods with half a teaspoon in the morning. Observe the child's reaction carefully for two days. If symptoms of food allergy develop, delay administration and consult a doctor;
• If there is no negative reaction, increase the portion of puree to 100 grams. At seven months, the rate is brought to 150 grams, at eight - up to 180, by the year - up to two hundred;
• Do not use salt and pepper when cooking! Such spices can be included in the diet no earlier than a year;
• For taste in mashed potatoes, you can add a little vegetable oil or low-fat sour cream;

• To make the new product better absorbed, feed the baby with breast milk after mashed potatoes;
• Each time it is advisable to prepare a new puree, in extreme cases, the finished dish can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours;
• It is better to cook from fresh product, since in such a vegetable the useful elements are preserved as much as possible. Choose your vegetable carefully. Inflorescences should be dense, white with a greenish or yellowish tint, without yellowed leaves, black and gray dots;
• If you can't get fresh cabbage, you can use frozen one. Before freezing, divide the vegetable into inflorescences, separate the white and yellowish leaves. If you buy a product, make sure that it is free of darkening and free of ice pieces;
• Serve warm as cold food loses some useful properties, and hot can burn the delicate esophagus of the child.

Cauliflower puree recipe

To prepare mashed potatoes, cabbage is disassembled into inflorescences, washed thoroughly and poured with water, previously slightly salted. Leave it on for half an hour. Do not wash or thaw frozen cabbage, but immediately put it in salted water for 30-40 minutes.

Then put the inflorescences in boiling water, the water should cover the pieces, and cover with a lid. Many parents, first of all, are concerned about how much to cook cauliflower. On average, it takes 7-15 minutes to cook, depending on the size of the vegetable, the hardness of the leaves, the method of cooking and other factors. Boil cabbage until soft, but it is important that it does not turn into porridge.

Remove the finished vegetable and grind in a blender. Dilute the puree with the broth that remains after cooking. The consistency should be semi-liquid and uniform. For children over a year old, the vegetable can not be chopped, but cut into small pieces. After several weeks of complementary foods and the introduction of various ingredients into the baby's diet, you can cook your child a puree soup with cauliflower, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes and other vegetables.

At first, it is better to combine two vegetables, then the number of components in the dish can be gradually increased. Remember that each product must already be included in the baby's menu separately! Good recipe for a baby over 10-12 months old, there will be stewed cauliflower, an omelet and a casserole. Next, we will look at a few more recipes with this vegetable for the baby. And you will find the details and rules for feeding babies.

Cauliflower recipes for babies

Casserole

• Cauliflower - 0.5 kg;
• Milk - 1 glass;
• Eggs - 2 pieces;
• Grated cheese - 100 gr;
• Greens and salt to taste.

Prepare and boil cabbage. Beat eggs and pour in milk, mix, salt if necessary. Pour the resulting mixture over the cabbage, sprinkle with cheese on top and bake until golden brown at two hundred degrees. Decorate the finished casserole with chopped herbs. Optionally, you can add tomatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces, to the recipe.

Cutlets

• Cauliflower - 0.5 kg;
• Flour - ¼ glass;
• Egg - 1 pc.;
• Chopped parsley - 1 tbsp. spoon.

Boil and chop the cabbage, break the egg, add flour and parsley. Stir well and form into small patties or meatballs. Fry in vegetable oil until cooked or steamed. Such cutlets are good to serve with buckwheat, pasta or rice, mashed potatoes.

Vegetable puree soup

• Cauliflower - 250 grams;
• Broccoli - 250 grams;
• Carrots - 1 pc.;
• Potatoes - 2 tubers;
• Greens to taste.

Prepare and boil vegetables separately, chop and grind in a blender. Add finely chopped greens, add broth after cabbage and mix. For babies over eight months old, you can add chopped meat or fish to the soup. Products must be prepared separately, as meat and fish broths not recommended for young children. During cooking, meat and fish release extractives that negatively affect the digestion.

Vegetable stew with chicken

• Chicken fillet - 100 gr;
• Cauliflower - 300 gr;
• Onion - ½ pcs.;
• Carrots - 1 pc.;
• Zucchini - 1 medium fruit;
• Tomatoes - 2 pieces;
• Green peas - 150 gr.;
• Low-fat sour cream - 4 tablespoons. spoons.

This recipe is suitable for children over a year and a half. Cook the chicken separately and cut. Finely chop the onion and carrots, simmer in vegetable oil. Prepare the zucchini and cabbage, peel the tomato, chop and add to the onion and carrot. Simmer until the tomatoes are soft, then add the peas and add sour cream. Stir the ingredients and simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Instead of chicken, you can use beef, rabbit, or turkey.

Pediatricians believe that vegetables are the most important component of children's healthy eating... Cauliflower is especially useful for babies for normal intestinal and digestive tract motility. Its value is explained by the balanced content of amino acids, proteins, mineral salts, carbohydrates and vitamins. Cooking for a child is not difficult at all. Let's go over some simple recipes with you.

Cauliflower for children under one year old

Ingredients:

• cauliflower - 500 g;
• water.

Preparation

First, choose a fresh cabbage fork without darkening and dents. Then we rinse the vegetable with running water and wipe it with a towel. Next, take a small saucepan, pour boiled water and boil the inflorescences in it without adding salt for 5 minutes. After that, carefully remove the cabbage and mash it with a blender or fork in mashed potatoes, gradually pouring in and diluting the mass with its own broth. With such a dietary one, you can feed young children from 4 months, starting to give half a teaspoon and bringing the portion of complementary foods for a month to 50 g.

Cauliflower recipe for children after a year

Ingredients:

Preparation

Now we will tell you how to cook cauliflower for a child. To prepare this option vegetable dish We disassemble the cauliflower into inflorescences, fill with water, throw in a little salt and boil for 5 minutes. Then we put it in a colander, dry it and put it on a baking sheet. Fill the inflorescences with sour cream if desired, sprinkle with crushed breadcrumbs and bake in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees until a light crust forms for 30 minutes. Ready dish decorate with raisins, previously soaked in warm water.