How to cook zucchini for the first feeding: recipes, rules, how to choose a vegetable

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

The first products that pediatricians suggest starting complementary foods with are zucchini. When breastfeeding, they are recommended to be introduced from six months, and with artificial feeding from 4-5 months. How to cook zucchini for the first feeding? The article will discuss the rules for cooking vegetables, he althy recipes and their benefits.

Benefits of zucchini for babies

Vegetable has a positive effect on the children's body due to the following properties:

• How to cook zucchini for feeding? Usually it is given to babies in the form of mashed potatoes, due to which it is well perceived by his body. The vegetable improves the digestion process, prevents constipation. Inclusion of zucchini in complementary foods protects the baby from colic and bloating.
• Excellent ratio of potassium and sodium. The first element has a positive effect on the nervous and muscular system of the child. It also saturates brain cells with oxygen and prevents allergies.
• Zucchini is low in fiber and high in water. First foodshould not irritate the stomach with a large amount of dietary fiber. The water in the vegetable flushes out toxins from the child's body.
• Zucchini has a delicate texture.
• Together with complementary foods, an additional amount of copper and iron begins to enter the child's body. This is especially important, because in the first months of life, many babies suffer from physiological anemia.

The positive aspects of using zucchini do not end there:

1. Easy to prepare, even a novice hostess can handle it.
2. Affordable price, especially in summer.
3. Fresh-frozen vegetable can be introduced into complementary foods at any time of the year.
4. Mom doesn't spend a lot of time cooking.
5. Allergy when eating a vegetable is rare.

Opinion of nutritionists

Zucchini improves bowel function, frees it from toxins and cholesterol. Vegetables remove excess water and prevent the development of obesity.

The calorie content of fruits per 100 g is 27 kcal.

Zucchini surpasses pumpkin in the content of minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Its pulp contains 2 times more vitamin C, but less sugars.

If your baby is overweight, there is no better vegetable to feed on.

Complementary feeding rules

Vegetable puree appears on the baby's menu closer to 6 months when the baby is breastfed, and whenartificial - after 4.

How to cook zucchini for the first feeding? Before cooking vegetables, you must consider the main input rules:

• mashed potatoes should be smooth, without s alt and sugar;
• for the first time, it is best to offer the child puree in the morning at 11 o'clock or in the afternoon - 14.00;
• first complementary foods, then breastfeeding or formula;
• for the first time give 1 teaspoon of puree, after 7 days - increase to 50 g;
• by 7 months the baby should eat 100 g, and by the year - 150 g;
• if the baby refuses zucchini puree, you can offer a dish in a week or use other vegetables that the pediatrician can recommend;
• don't give zucchini when it's hot outside or the baby is sick.

When introducing the fetus into the diet, it is necessary to establish a certain measure. If the child has a good appetite and wants to eat more, this is not recommended. To avoid any problems with digestion, consume the required amount of zucchini.

Before you start complementary foods, you need to consult a pediatrician, he will tell you the correct scheme.

Food diary

How to cook zucchini for the first baby food? Before introducing complementary foods, parents should keep a food diary. In it, the mother will be able to record all the reactions of the baby to new products:

• bloating;
• redness or rash on the skin;
• anxiety and whims of the child;
• violation of stool orincreased gas formation.

If parents find at least one of these signs, then it is necessary to stop complementary foods and consult a pediatrician. He will tell you when you can start introducing new foods. This usually happens within a month. When introducing new purees into the diet, it is best to choose one-component dishes, i.e. made from one product. A mixture of vegetables makes it difficult to identify the exact "culprit" of allergies and other symptoms.

Contraindications

Before you cook zucchini for the first feeding, you need to make sure that the child does not have hyperkalemia. With this disease, the kidneys suffer, which cannot cope with the task of removing potassium from the body. Also, zucchini is not allowed to be taken by children suffering from kidney failure of various origins.

Peeling on the skin can be attributed to a side reaction after eating zucchini. The reaction is considered absolutely normal and completely unrelated to allergies. To prevent this, add the water in which the vegetable was boiled or breast milk to the zucchini puree.

Selection and preparation of zucchini

How to cook zucchini for the first feeding? The most reliable way to prepare is to get mashed potatoes from vegetables grown on your own plot. They can be steamed or boiled at home.

If the baby was born in the summer, then he will have to try his first complementary foods in the winter, in the store you canwill find fresh zucchini, but their quality is doubtful. They may contain nitrates and other harmful substances.

Options for solving the problem include:

1. Freeze fresh zucchini for the winter. It is necessary to purchase fresh green young vegetables, their length should be 20 cm. The tender pulp will make it easy to remove the seeds. When choosing fruits, it must be borne in mind that the surface should be even and shiny, without spots.
2. Pure in jars. Any products on store shelves are certified. It is important for parents to familiarize themselves with the composition. Ideal option: zucchini and pumpkin. It is advisable to avoid pear-shaped zucchini in the puree. It is an analogue of pumpkin, and is completely unsuitable for the first feeding due to the occurrence of allergies in babies.

Meat protein, olive oil, herbs can go well with zucchini.

Frozen product

How to cook zucchini for the first feeding? First you need to prepare the vegetables. Young fruits are not able to be stored for a long time due to the fact that they have a thin peel and a lot of water. Large vegetables can be stored for a long time, but they are not suitable for the first feeding. They have a coarser texture and low nutritional value compared to young zucchini. And therefore, for freezing, the ideal option is to use just such fruits. Do it like this:

• zucchini thoroughly washed and skinned thinly;
• remove the top and stalk, these are the places where they arenitrates;
• you don’t need to remove the middle, you just need to cut the zucchini into circles, the thickness is no more than 3 cm, the fruits can be laid in one layer in a freezer bag.

Some mothers use disposable cups for this. For the first days of complementary foods, they take small containers, and then a little more. From above they can be covered with cling film or foil.

How to cook baby zucchini for feeding? Before cooking, do not wait for the vegetable to completely defrost. As a result, a porridge-like consistency can be obtained from it. It is best to put frozen zucchini in water and boil for 5-7 minutes. As soon as it is cooked, it is crushed with a sieve. You can choose the most suitable option: for a couple or in a slow cooker. The usefulness of the resulting dish will not suffer from this.

How to cook zucchini for the first feeding

Before starting the process, the fetus is properly processed. For this you need:

• Rinse the zucchini in cool water.
• For complementary feeding, the fruit must be peeled and rinsed again.
• Products bought in a store or market must be soaked for 2 hours in a s alt solution. For this, the zucchini is cut in half. This is done in order to get rid of the possible presence of nitrates in the fruits.

How to cook zucchini for feeding? Here are some easy and completely affordable recipes.

In the pan, the zucchini is prepared as follows:

1. Water for cooking vegetables is taken filtered or purchased. It is pre-boiled.
2. The vegetable is cut into cubes and boiled in boiling water for 10 minutes.
3. Ready-made zucchini is crushed in a blender. Cooking for more than 10 minutes is not recommended so that the vegetable does not lose its valuable vitamins.

How to cook zucchini for the first feeding? In a slow cooker, vegetables are cooked like this:

• The fruit is freed from the peel and seeds, cut into rings.
• Put in a slow cooker.
• Before starting the cooking process, you must press the "stew" or "steam" button. Time - 10 minutes.
• Chop the fruits in the same way as indicated in the previous recipe, or in another way that is more convenient.

How to cook a baby zucchini for the first feeding? Steaming the fruit is as follows:

1. Pour water equal to 1/4 of the volume of the container into the pan. Place a sieve or colander on top.
2. Put the prepared zucchini slices into the prepared container.
3. Zucchini will be exposed to steam when the water boils. To make the process go faster, cover the pan with a lid.

S alting the dish is not recommended, it will not benefit the baby. Ready puree can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Conclusion

Zucchini puree is the most useful first food for a baby. It will saturate his body with useful and nutritious substances, which will allow the child to develop and grow harmoniously.