Broccoli puree for babies: recipe with photo

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Probably every experienced parent knows some recipe for mashed broccoli for babies. This is a really he althy vegetable that will be an excellent choice if it comes time to start introducing the first complementary foods. Thanks to him, you can significantly improve children's he alth, and if necessary, regulate the weight of the child. Therefore, every mother who seriously cares about the he alth of her baby should know how to make broccoli puree for babies.

Useful properties

First of all, it will be useful to talk about the advantages of such a vegetable. They are quite numerous.

Start with the fact that broccoli contains vitamins A, B, C and E, as well as phosphorus, potassium, folic acid and iodine. The last element is very important - it is responsible for the functioning of the thyroid gland, and its deficiency leads to a decrease in growth rates. And in many regions of our country there is an iodine deficiency.

Vitamin C has a positive effect on immunity - a child who receives enough of it is less likely to get sick andtolerates any disease more easily.

A large amount of fiber improves digestion - the baby will not have problems with stool. And experienced parents know perfectly well how important this is. Still, constipation in children causes a lot of problems for dads and moms.

Especially broccoli is recommended for babies who are predisposed to being overweight. On the one hand, broccoli puree saturates well, and on the other hand, it has a low calorie content. Therefore, regular consumption of it reduces the risk of obesity.

An excellent set of vitamins and microelements increases the elasticity and strength of blood vessels, and also has a positive effect on the work of the heart.

So it's safe to say that if you know how to make mashed broccoli for babies, you can bring a lot of benefits to the child.

From what age can I give

Coming to another important issue. At what age can children be given broccoli?

Experts recommend cooking mashed broccoli for babies from 4 months. Yes, yes, it is at this age that the first complementary foods can be introduced, if by this time the child already does not have enough mother's milk.

By four months, the baby's stomach is strong enough to digest not only the delicacy prepared by nature and mother. Cauliflower and broccoli are the first foods that can be used as complementary foods.

The choice is not at all random. These vegetables not only contain useful substances and trace elements, which were discussed above. They are alsocompletely hypoallergenic. That is, when used in a child, the development of an allergic reaction will definitely not begin. There will also be no other negative consequences. In addition, most children enjoy this puree, which many adults find completely tasteless. Therefore, deciding to introduce it into the baby's diet, parents make the right decision.

However, if mother's milk allows the baby to be completely satisfied, then it is better to postpone the introduction of complementary foods until 6-7 months.

Rules for introducing complementary foods

When the reader knows the benefits of broccoli puree for babies, it is worth talking about certain rules for introducing this dish into the diet.

In general, you need to act in the same way as with any other complementary foods. At first, it is advisable to give a small amount of broccoli - literally at the tip of a spoon, so that the child eats from half a teaspoon to a full one in a day. The next day, you should monitor the body's reaction to complementary foods. If there are no problems - abdominal pain, crying, then the new dish was in place. After a day of observation, you can continue complementary foods, gradually increasing the portion - up to about 50 grams at a time.

At eight or nine months, a child can safely eat up to 100-150 grams, and up to 200 grams a year.

It should be said right away - the vegetable broth left after boiling broccoli should never be given to a child. It can worsen the functioning of the baby's stomach, causing a lot of problems for him and his parents.

Choosesuitable product

Before you learn how to make baby broccoli puree, you need to figure out how to choose quality vegetables. Still, using not too good ingredients, it will not work to cook a he althy and tasty dish.

Of course, it is best to grow broccoli in the country. If there is such an opportunity, then it is better to give preference to this option. Then you can be sure that the dosage of mineral fertilizers was not violated during cultivation, the vegetable was not sprayed with chemicals to kill parasites. That is, broccoli will turn out to be completely safe from an environmental point of view. It's nice that it can be stored frozen for up to 6 months - a very decent time. The main thing - do not wash it before freezing. It is better to simply divide into small inflorescences and put them in a plastic bag. Wash vegetables only before cooking.

Unfortunately, most have to be content with purchased vegetables. How to choose the right one when visiting a store?

First of all, check that there are no rotten areas, dark spots or mold on the surface. All inflorescences should have a rich green color. If possible, sniff the broccoli. A head of cabbage should not have a mushroom smell - this is a signal that it will soon deteriorate. The buds should be tight, closed. When buying packaged cabbage, be sure to make sure that there is no ice there - it is quite easy to determine this by simply probing the pack. It is unlikely that anyone will want to pay for water.

At home, you can store a fresh head of broccoli in the refrigerator for about a week, but it is better to consume it 4-5 days in advance.

How to prepare broccoli

If you want to learn how to cook broccoli puree for babies, then first you should find out a few nuances of preparing a vegetable for cooking.

The purchased head of cabbage needs to be disassembled into inflorescences - they are quite small. After that, rinse them thoroughly, fill them with cold water and leave for a couple of hours. No longer needed - cabbage can absorb excess water. A few hours is enough to flush out pesticides, nitrates and other harmful substances from broccoli, which are generously watered in the beds on most plantations.

After that, you can start cooking.

Classic Puree

First of all, here is a recipe for mashed broccoli for babies, which is considered the easiest. The cooking procedure does not require special skills - every adult can handle it.

Prepared broccoli (disassembled into florets and washed) is put into a saucepan and poured with cold water. You don’t need to cook a lot of cabbage right away - preferably such an amount that will be eaten per day. In other words, 50-200 grams, depending on the age of the child.

Now you can put the pot on the fire and bring to a boil. After that, you need to cook broccoli for another 15-20 minutes. During this time, the cabbage will become quite soft. You can throw it in a colander and start making mashed potatoes. Inflorescences just need to be carefully crushed. Somebodyuses a simple fork for this purpose, while others are forced through a sieve. A convenient way is to use a blender - the mass will turn out to be completely homogeneous. But taking it out and then washing it to make 100 grams of puree is not for everyone.

Usually frozen broccoli puree for babies can be too thick. The problem is easy to solve - add a few tablespoons of boiled and chilled water and mix the resulting mass thoroughly. You can treat your child with delicious and he althy puree!

Using a slow cooker

Also, parents who want to figure out how to cook mashed broccoli for babies can use a recipe for a slow cooker or double boiler. Steam cooking is even better than regular cooking. In this case, more useful substances remain in the vegetables, which partially pass into the broth if they are boiled in water. It's nice that the cooking process is also very simple.

After preparing the broccoli, place the florets in a slow cooker on a special grill for stewing vegetables. After that, select the appropriate mode and set the time - about 10 minutes. When the measured time expires, all that remains is to turn the vegetables into mashed potatoes in any of the ways described above. The resulting dish will be even he althier than the classic puree.

Delicious puree soup

However, when talking about the recipe for broccoli puree for babies, one should not forget about puree soup. This dish can be given to children as early as 7 months old - it turns out to be very tender, but at the same time satisfying and he althy thanks to the vitamins that make up its composition.

To cook you needtake:

• 150 grams of broccoli;
• 1 medium carrot.
• 1 medium potato.

All vegetables must be washed, peeled and cut into small cubes. After that, they are folded into a saucepan and poured with boiling water. The water is brought to a boil, and the vegetables are boiled over low heat for 20-25 minutes. The liquid is drained, and the finished ingredients are rubbed through a sieve or mixed in a blender. You can add a teaspoon of sour cream or vegetable oil to the finished dish.

The dish is very he althy, but you can give it to children only after they try the ingredients separately - for example, broccoli puree, as well as carrot juice. If allergies or other negative consequences appear with the introduction of this puree soup into the diet, you should wait.

Potato and broccoli puree

According to many parents, the recipe for mashed broccoli for babies will be even more successful if you add a little potato to it. On the one hand, the dish remains tasty and he althy, and on the other hand, it is more satisfying. It's amazingly easy to prepare. You just need to take the same amount of broccoli and potatoes - for example, 100 or 150 grams each. The broccoli is prepared as above and the potatoes are peeled and cut into small cubes.

Sliced potatoes are thrown into a pot with a little boiling water. When it boils again, wait 10 minutes and add the broccoli. After another 10 minutes, the vegetables are caught and mashed using a sieve, fork orblender. It turns out a very good dish, which will be a great alternative to those mixtures that are sold in stores.

If you add a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the finished dish, then mashed potatoes can also help with constipation.

Pure Reviews

However, the above is mostly theory. But in practice, everything is not so simple and monotonous. For example, if you study reviews of broccoli puree for babies, you can find rather conflicting opinions. Having studied them, it is easy to draw certain conclusions.

In general, the dish does not cause any problems, as broccoli is a hypoallergenic product. And many children enjoy eating it. However, some people do not like this puree. Most often it depends on already manifesting food preferences. Trying to force a spoonful of mashed potatoes into a child is not worth it. It is better to postpone the second experiment for a week or two. Very often, a dish that a six-month-old baby resolutely refuses to eat today, he will happily eat some time later.

Who can't have broccoli?

Talking about the pros of broccoli puree, you should still briefly talk about the possible cons. More precisely, about who it is contraindicated for.

First of all, this group includes children with problems with high stomach acidity. Violation of this simple rule often leads to the fact that the child has gas and abdominal pain.

Also, a contraindication can be considered the presence of diseases,affecting the digestive organs - primarily the pancreas.

Everyone else should definitely get acquainted with this tasty and he althy dish.

Conclusion

This article comes to an end. From it, you learned how to cook mashed broccoli for babies. And also about the benefits that this simple dish can bring.