Broccoli food: what to consider and how to cook?

Broccoli attracts parents with its rich vitamin and mineral composition, so the question of introducing this vegetable into the baby’s diet always appears when a child is familiar with vegetable dishes. When can you cook such cabbage for crumbs and how to choose the best vegetable for baby food?

• From this vegetable, the child will receive a mass of valuable substances Broccoli has a lot of vitamin C, as well as folic acid, carotene, magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamin A, potassium, and other beneficial compounds.
• Eating such a vegetable has a positive effect on bones and the cardiovascular system, as well as on the baby’s immunity and appetite.
• This cabbage is considered one of the vegetables least contaminated by pesticides.
• Broccoli is also referred to as hypo-allergenic vegetables.
• The presence of fiber in the cabbage broccoli helps to prevent constipation with regular use.
• The high protein content of broccoli makes this cabbage a preferred product for babies who do not like meat.
• Due to its low-calorie content and the quick feeling of fullness from broccoli dishes, such a vegetable is also advised to give to children who are overweight.

• Broccoli can increase gas formation in a child.
• The digestive system of the baby can react to such a vegetable both with diarrhea (it is caused by soluble fibers) and constipation (it appears due to insoluble fibers).
• If a child gets an excess amount of broccoli, then a large amount of natural nitrates found in such cabbage will get into his body.
• Broccoli should not be given to children with pancreatic diseases.
• Broccoli decoction can not be used as food, since some of the low-toxic compounds from this cabbage pass into it.

For the first time, broccoli should be cooked for babies from 6-8 months, when the child begins to try various vegetable supplements.

From 8-10 months, the child is recommended to give vegetable soupincluding broccoli. After a year, your baby can be offered a casserole or scrambled eggs with this vegetable.

A teaspoon of broccoli puree is the first portion of this vegetable for any baby. Only in the absence of any negative reactions to the baby cabbage, it can be given in greater quantities.

Pretreatment of this vegetable includes thorough washing and removal of any foreign particles that could get stuck in the inflorescences. To be safe, you can also soak broccoli for 20 minutes in water. For the first samples of such cabbage, it should be boiled or steamed.

Boil broccoli in the water should not be very long - just 5-7 minutes. It is impossible to digest such cabbage, as it will affect both its nutritional value and color. If you boil this vegetable steamed, then the optimal processing time is 15 minutes.

To make mashed potatoes, boil the broccoli and then carefully peretet the vegetable so that there are no solid particles left. To the consistency of the dish turned out to be delicate, you can add water or milk (mother or mixture). In the finished puree is also worth adding vegetable oil, because it will improve the absorption of carotene.

If your child likes mashed vegetables like this, add broccoli to other vegetable dishes, for example, you can make broccoli, carrots, peas and cauliflower puree.

Many mothers freeze cabbage for use in winter, but this treatment affects the taste of broccoli.

If you decide to prepare cabbage for vegetable purees, the vegetable should be cut into florets, and then blanched for 3-5 minutes. Another hot cabbage dip in ice water, dry and send in the freezer. Broccoli can be stored frozen for up to 6-12 months. Frozen cabbage is recommended to boil for a couple.

Broccoli cabbage, which gets on the table to a small child, should be of high quality.

Try to buy your baby only green and young cabbage, as over time the nutritional value of broccoli decreases. Pay attention to the stem - it should not be sluggish and "rubber". And when breaking off the inflorescences you should hear a crunch.

Store purchased cabbage in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, while broccoli should be washed only before cooking. Do not place broccoli in the same place as tomatoes, carrots or apples, as this will accelerate cabbage spoilage.