The kid grows and develops. Along with this, its menu expands. In the season of vegetables and fruits, I want to pamper the baby and saturate his body with vitamins. Especially if the fruits are grown in their own garden. Young mothers during the introduction of complementary foods are concerned about the question of when children can be given cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage and other vegetables. Let us dwell on the first in more detail.
What is the use?
Two-thirds of cucumber consists of pure, structured water. Heat is the best time to give a cucumber to a child. The vegetable will refresh and replenish the water-salt balance. The composition of the cucumber includes such trace elements: potassium, iodine, zinc, chromium, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, cobalt, magnesium, fructose. It also contains ascorbic and folic acids, vitamins A, K, PP, B1, B2. We should also pay attention to the presence of iodine in cucumbers. Eating crispy goodies will be an excellent prevention of deficiency of an important trace element.
These green vegetables contain a lot of fiber, which contributes to the digestion process. Cucumber has a beneficial effect on the pancreas. The product is easily absorbed and does not require its participation, giving the body a rest. Vegetable is good for children fresh. Heat treatment almost completely destroys vitamins. Pay attention to the appearance of cucumbers. Small specimens with small seeds and bright green peel will benefit. Overripe large yellow vegetables contain few nutrients. And more seeds can cause bloating.
At what age can cucumbers be given to a child?
Vegetables are introduced into the diet of babies at 7-8 months. Start with the lightest and most non-allergenic: zucchini, cauliflower, potatoes. Vegetable and fruit purees, homogenized meat and fish will appear in the diet of crumbs. Closer to the age of one year, a period begins when children can be given cucumbers. Offer the baby a small bite and track the reaction to the product.
Cucumber Harm
Nursing mothers and children up to a year need to carefully introduce cucumbers into the diet. Coarse fiber, which is rich in vegetables, can cause colic and intestinal upset in infants. Consider the season. Summer is the only time when children can be given cucumbers. For feeding babies, only soil specimens are suitable. Greenhouse vegetables contain nitrates. In no case do not offer kids early cucumbers. They contain a large amount of harmful substances that cause severe eating disorders. Vegetable juice irritates the gastrointestinal mucosa. If the crumbs have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, you should consult a physician before starting feeding. When you can give a cucumber to a child, only a doctor can decide.
In what form should cucumbers be given?
For the smallest, the cucumber needs to be peeled. Even in season, it may contain nitrates. The peel of vegetables is coarse fiber, which is difficult to cope with the delicate digestive tract of children. Offer the grated cucumber seasoned with olive oil or low-fat sour cream to the one-year-old crumb. Whole or sliced vegetable crumbs will be able to eat in 1.5-2 years. If you are not sure about the quality of the product, then before use it is better to soak it in salt water for 2 hours. In this case, you need to change the water several times.
Pickles - for Kids
Previously, grandmothers and mothers offered babies a slightly salted version of the product, without thinking about how many months you can give a cucumber to a child. When the little teeth erupted, they gave him to scratch their gums. But do not underestimate the benefits of cucumbers. Among the advantages of the product, the following factors are distinguished:
- Pickled cucumbers retain most of their vitamins. The lactic acid they contain is a breeding ground for the beneficial bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract.
- The product improves appetite.
- A large amount of fiber has a beneficial effect on stool.
As for harm, it consists in the following points:
- Such cucumbers are characterized by a high salt content.
- Acid destructively affects tooth enamel. Therefore, giving scratching gums to children with teething is not a good idea.
- The product irritates the gastric mucosa. Nutritionists and pediatricians agree that 3 years and not earlier is the age when children can be given cucumbers in salt form.
In addition to salted, in the diet of adults there are canned pickled cucumbers. Their benefits are dubious. During heat treatment, 70% of vitamins are lost, which are few in this vegetable. The benefit of canned cucumber is that it stimulates appetite, and the fiber contained in it helps to cope with constipation. Unfortunately, vinegar is present in the preservation. It has a destructive effect on tooth enamel. It excites the nervous system and interferes with normal sleep. In addition, a large amount of salt in the marinade badly affects children's kidneys. Offer canned cucumbers to children from 5-6 years old in limited quantities. They are good for babies with poor appetite. The product diversifies the diet of children in the winter.
Vegetable salad in the diet of crumbs
Parents want to quickly make the crumb diet look like their own. So, gradually, vegetable salads appear on the baby's menu. To the question of when it is possible to give a child cucumber, fresh tomato, bell pepper and other vitamin-containing products in one dish, nutritionists answer ambiguously. On the one hand, a crispy vegetable is not an allergen and may be present in the diet of an already one-year-old baby. Red tomatoes, on the other hand, can cause allergies. A combination of these vegetables is considered difficult for digestion. Such a tandem is better to offer the baby after two years. In the heat, children (from 1.5-2 years old) can be offered okroshka from kefir, eggs, potatoes and green onions. If there is such an opportunity, collect the crop together in the country or in a personal plot. The child will be interested. And he would love to eat such a dish.
Younger crumbs can offer a salad of grated cucumber, eggs seasoned with vegetable oil, low-fat sour cream, unsweetened yogurt. In order to assimilate carotene, which contains the product, it should be consumed with any fats. In the cool season, imported vegetables are sold in supermarkets. In appearance and touch, their surface resembles plastic. Never give such products to children. They are treated with chemicals that can cause severe poisoning and a severe allergic reaction. Offer your kids only fresh, natural vegetables.