In the eyes of adults, zucchini puree looks extremely unappetizing. If we talk about kids, then zucchini puree is much tastier for them. In addition, small children at first show extreme interest in such an alternative to bored breast milk or infant formula.
How to cook zucchini for feeding? Parents often ask such a question. The product is quite simple to turn not only into mashed potatoes, but also into a casserole, appetizing juice, pancakes. Zucchini puree perfectly saturates the baby's body, nourishes body tissues with carotene, pectins, nutrients, minerals and vitamins.
Beneficial features
Zucchini is a "relative" of pumpkin, which has a piquant taste. Vegetable dishes have excellent dietary qualities. For young children, zucchini become relevant due to the low content of easily digestible vegetable fiber and a high percentage of liquid.
Having decided how much to cook zucchini for the first feeding, parents get the opportunity to feed their child a safe product that does not irritate the stomach, is perfectly digested and has minimal strain on the intestines. That is why tender gruel should be introduced into the diet of babies in the first place.
Vitamin and Mineral Content
Many adults find zucchini completely useless in terms of nutritional value. However, to anyone this product is recommended for the organization of diet food.
Comparing zucchini with regular pumpkin, one can note a low sugar content in them. But this disadvantage is completely offset by the saturation with mineral salts, which play a decisive role in the metabolic processes of the body.
The pulp of zucchini is rich in vitamin C. The product is a valuable source of iron, copper, and other elements that are involved in restoring the composition of the blood.
The use of boiled zucchini in the form of mashed potatoes becomes indispensable for children in the first years of life. Many babies suffer from physiological anemia, which is helped not only by taking vitamin complexes, but by additional dietary nutrition.
Why is it worth choosing zucchini for complementary foods?
If in the search for an alternative to breast milk, preference is given to hypoallergenic, easily digestible dishes, in this case, it is worth giving preference to mashed potato from zucchini. How much to cook zucchini for a baby, you can find out by trial and error, or by contacting a nutritionist.
To make such a puree means to provide your own child with excellent dietary nutrition, which will saturate the body with mineral salts and an abundance of valuable fluid. The presence of a small amount of fiber will provide a low load on the unprepared intestines.
In fact, in order not to puzzle yourself with the question of how much to cook zucchini for mashed potatoes, it is enough to buy a finished product in the department of baby food. Naturally, it is always better to cook food from natural products. However, there are parents who simply do not have enough time for this.
How to cook zucchini for a child?
It is better that the consistency of mashed potatoes reminds the baby of mother’s milk. It is advisable to make complementary foods pleasant in smell and sweet in taste.
In what sequence should you follow the steps and how much to cook zucchini for making baby puree? To make the child enjoy the dish, the question should be approached as follows:
- To begin with, zucchini are washed under cold running water and peeled.
- How long does it take to cook zucchini? The vegetable should become so soft that it can be easily mashed with a fork and rubbed through a sieve. On average, 6-10 minutes are enough. Using a blender is less convenient when you need a minimum amount of mashed potatoes for the first feeding.
- It is better to use bottled water for cooking. The use of a minimum amount of water, which should only cover pieces of vegetables, allows preserving nutrients, minerals and vitamins.
- The best option in terms of preserving vitamins is to cook zucchini steamed. Typically, in order to achieve the required consistency in this way, heat treatment of the product is required for 15-20 minutes.
- Mashed potatoes should be made one-component, in other words, use only zucchini without the addition of milk, butter or sugar. It is not recommended to put salt in the dish. However, it is possible to salt or sweeten the puree a little if the baby flatly refuses the fresh product.
- It is only necessary to feed the baby with a freshly prepared dish. A reheated product loses its useful qualities and the child probably will not like it.
Squash juice
If parents can not decide how much to cook zucchini for making baby puree, fresh vegetable juice can be an alternative option for feeding. Its use has a slight diuretic effect, saturates the baby's body with useful substances and improves appetite.
Squash juice should be given to the child 30 minutes before the main meal. And you need to use it immediately after squeezing. An excellent option may be to prepare a cocktail with the addition of a small amount of apple, carrot or beetroot juice.
Valuable Tips
In reality, it is not so difficult to understand how much zucchini is cooked, having prepared the dish several times yourself. A more important issue is choosing a safe product. The main danger lies in the content of nitrates, which may be present in purchased vegetables. You can only reduce the likelihood of harming the baby’s health by growing vegetables on your own personal plot.
Before starting to cook zucchini for mashed potatoes, it is better to soak purchased vegetables once again in clean cold water, changing the liquid with a frequency of several hours. Thus, you can make the product completely safe before cooking.
Vegetables for mashed potatoes can be prepared for future use, if complementary foods are not yet possible, but are planned in advance for a later period. To do this, the vegetable is peeled, cut into cubes, then packaged in trays and frozen. As soon as it becomes necessary to prepare mashed potatoes, the desired portion is removed from the freezer and poured with boiling water. Next, the vegetables are boiled or cooked in a double boiler.