Let's talk about cabbage. Is cabbage good for children?
Cabbage is a well-known, tasty food product. You can use it to cook cabbage soup, boil it, stew it, roll cabbage rolls, salads, or simply eat it fresh. Cabbage is a source of vitamins. First of all, vitamin C. We can’t do without cabbage. And it is always in the refrigerator.
Cabbage has several varieties: cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts. And each has its own merits.
All of the types of cabbage listed above are low-allergenic products. It extremely rarely causes allergies. What makes them valuable food products for children.
And, of course, mothers are interested in questions:
When can a child be given cabbage? Which cabbage to choose? How to cook it?
White cabbage for children
The most famous, accessible and widespread. Stores well and is easy to process. It contains many vitamins and minerals, including the unique vitamin U, but heat treatment destroys the “lion’s share” of the vitamins. Cabbage juice enhances the production of digestive enzymes and activates intestinal motility.
The leaves of white cabbage are used for food; they are characterized by a high content of coarse fibers, fiber and sulfur, which irritate the delicate mucous membranes of the child’s stomach and intestines, which leads to increased gas formation, abdominal pain, regurgitation and stool disorders.
In connection with the above, white cabbage is introduced into the children's diet not as the first, but later, when the baby becomes familiar with the taste of other vegetables: cauliflower or broccoli, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, pumpkin.
White cabbage rarely causes allergies, but still more often than cauliflower and broccoli.
When is it possible
The recommended period for including white cabbage in a child's diet is 7-8 months; white cabbage is given to the child only in boiled or stewed form, not as an independent dish, but is included in vegetable puree or pureed soup, as one of the ingredients in small quantities.
Raw or fresh cabbage in salads is given to children from the age of 3, if the child does not have stomach and intestinal diseases: gastritis, colitis, pancreatitis, biliary dyskinesia. Raw or fresh cabbage contains a lot of coarse fiber and is a difficult to digest product. In addition, in order to eat raw cabbage, the child must be able to chew food well.
Cauliflower for children
Cauliflower has a number of advantages over white cabbage
- The flowers of cauliflower are eaten; they have a much more delicate consistency than the leaves of white cabbage, so eating cauliflower does not lead to increased gas formation and digestive disorders.
- Cauliflower, compared to white cabbage, contains twice as much protein and ascorbic acid, it contains vitamins B1, B2, B6, nicotinic acid, A and minerals.
When is it possible
Thanks to these valuable properties, cauliflower has become a valuable and even irreplaceable product in baby food.
Broccoli
This is a type of cauliflower that has all its advantages, plus it contains even more protein and vitamin A, folic acid and vitamin K, so it can be given to children from 4 to 5 months.
Brussels sprouts for children
Brussels sprouts are a type of white cabbage. They are close in composition. Brussels sprouts are cabbage leaves. Therefore, the recommendations regarding the inclusion of white cabbage in children's diets also apply to Brussels sprouts. It can also be given for the first time to a child older than 7-8 months.
Cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts do not keep well fresh. For long-term storage, it is recommended to freeze them. In frozen cabbage, all nutrients and taste are well preserved.
These types of cabbage are not used in food without heat treatment..
Sauerkraut for children
Sauerkraut is certainly a very tasty and healthy product. It contains a lot of vitamins A, B, C. There is more ascorbic acid in it in spring than in fresh (last year's) cabbage.
But
- A lot of salt is added to it, sometimes vinegar - which is harmful for children,
- Sauerkraut contains a large amount of histamine. Therefore, consuming large quantities of it in food can cause a pseudo-allergic reaction (i.e., all allergy symptoms occur).
Therefore, children under 3 years old are not given sauerkraut. And children over 3 years old are given in small quantities.
Sea kale for children
Sea kale is seaweed - kelp, which has been used as food for a long time. It only has part of the name and uses in common with other types of cabbage. It is eaten fresh and canned, added to soup or vegetable dishes.
Sea kale contains, albeit in very small quantities, complete proteins, which include all the essential amino acids. It contains fiber and organic acids. It contains a lot of vitamins and microelements.
But it is especially valued for its high iodine content. Its drugs are even used in medicine to treat iodine deficiency conditions.
It is also used as a remedy for constipation. And to remove harmful substances from the body.
For long-term storage, it is frozen, dried and preserved (pickled and pickled). When salting and pickling, the beneficial substances in it are mostly destroyed. All the beneficial properties of seaweed are best preserved by freezing and drying.
When is it possible
- Children under three years old are not given seaweed. Because it is a difficult to digest product. Children over 3 years old are allowed to give it in small quantities.
- It is best used dried as a seasoning.
- In 2nd place in terms of beneficial properties is frozen seaweed.
- It is better not to use salted and pickled seaweed in children's diets.
Allergy to cabbage
Allergy to cabbage, as stated above, is very rare. Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, white cabbage and broccoli are considered foods with a low degree of allergenicity. Allergies occur to foreign proteins. And they are contained in cabbage in minimal quantities.
But still, an allergy to cabbage is possible.
Allergy to sauerkraut
But a pseudo-allergic reaction often occurs when a small child consumes large quantities of sauerkraut or pickled cabbage. A pseudoallergic reaction manifests itself with all the symptoms of an allergy: rash, itching, etc.
The difference between a pseudo-allergy and a true allergy is as follows. With a real or true allergy, microdoses of the allergen are needed to start the process. And with a pseudo-allergy, you need to eat a fairly large amount of the product that causes it. I ate a little bit - nothing happened, but I ate a whole plate - it was sprinkled all over.
Sauerkraut contains histamine, an allergy mediator. It immediately enters the bloodstream from the digestive system. And it itself, without the additional participation of allergens, causes all the biochemical processes that are characteristic of true allergies.
To relieve the symptoms of pseudo-allergy, you need to exclude the product that caused it from your diet, in this case sauerkraut. And use antihistamines: Zyrtec, Fenistil, Tavegil, etc.
If a child has a pseudo-allergic reaction to sauerkraut, this does not mean that he should not eat cabbage at all. Only sauerkraut or pickled cabbage should be excluded from the diet. Moreover, heat treatment does not destroy histamine, so cabbage soup with sauerkraut will also not be allowed. But cabbage soup with fresh or frozen cabbage is possible.
Allergy to seaweed
Allergies to seaweed are more common than to broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Most often this is due to individual iodine intolerance.
Iodine is a histamine liberator and promotes its release into the body. Therefore, regular ingestion of foods or medications with a high iodine content can cause allergies, most often skin rashes.
Dishes for children with cabbage
How to prepare cabbage
- The easiest way to prepare for cooking is white cabbage. You just need to wash it and you can cut it.
- It is recommended to scald the broccoli with boiling water.
- Cauliflower and broccoli are washed, disassembled into small inflorescences, washed again, and scalded with boiling water.
From 9 months Vegetable stew with cauliflower and meatballs
Required: cauliflower (if you don’t have cauliflower, white cabbage, broccoli or Brussels sprouts will do), zucchini, potatoes in approximately equal quantities, beef or chicken meatballs, carrots, onions, herbs to taste.
Finely chop all vegetables. Carrots can be grated. Add meatballs and greens.
Place everything in a baking pot, add water, bake in the oven for 50 minutes - 1 hour.
The finished dish can be ground in a blender.
From 9 months Broccoli soup
Required: broccoli, carrots, onions, greens, boiled beef or chicken.
Cut all vegetables into cubes and place in boiling water. Cook for 20 minutes. Then add finely chopped meat and herbs to the soup and bring to a boil.
For a small child, grind the finished soup in a blender; for an older child, you can add sour cream.
From 1 year Cauliflower soup
Needed: cauliflower, green peas, carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, milk, sunflower oil.
Wash and peel the pumpkin, carrots and potatoes. Cut all vegetables into cubes and place in boiling water. Add green peas there. Cook for about half an hour. At the end of cooking, you can add hot milk (1/3 volume) and 1-2 teaspoons of sunflower oil per 100 ml of soup.
From 1.5 years old Stuffed cabbage rolls with buckwheat
Required: fresh white cabbage, buckwheat, onions, carrots, herbs, sour cream.
Cook buckwheat porridge with onions and carrots. At the end of cooking, add greens. Wash the cabbage leaves, scald with boiling water, and wrap the porridge in the leaves. Place in a saucepan, add water, add sour cream, simmer in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Sauerkraut recipe (from 3 years old)
Proportions: for 4 kg of cabbage, 400 g of carrots and 1 tablespoon of salt.
Wash fresh white cabbage, remove stalks, cut by hand or with a shredder.
Wash the carrots, peel them and grate them on a coarse grater.
Place the cabbage, carrots and salt in an enamel pan or bucket or in a wooden bowl.
Mix cabbage with carrots and salt. Mash with your hands until the juice appears. Then press down to the bottom of the pan until the cabbage is covered with juice. Place a plate or enamel lid on top of the cabbage with a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the pan. Place a weight on top of a plate or lid (the easiest way is to use a jar of water). The cabbage juice should cover or almost cover the plate or lid. Leave the cabbage at room temperature for 3-4 days.
After 3 days, the cabbage is ready - you can eat it or add it to other dishes.
Then put the cabbage in glass jars, compact tightly, and pour in juice. Cover tightly with plastic lids and put in the refrigerator.
Cabbage treatment
White cabbage and seaweed are used for medicinal purposes. We have already mentioned the use of seaweed for medicinal purposes above.
White cabbage for children for treatment
Cabbage leaf is popularly used for cough, fever and as a resolving agent after injections.
Leaves of fresh white cabbage are used for compresses.
Before applying the cabbage leaf to the skin, it is first softened so that it releases juice but remains intact. You can roll it out with a rolling pin, beat it with a hammer or make several cuts with a knife.
Cabbage leaf for cough
Lightly heated honey is applied to the cabbage leaf prepared for the compress on the inside. And then they place the cabbage leaf with the “honey” side on the patient’s back and/or chest. Cellophane film and cotton wool are placed on top of the sheet, and the patient is wrapped. The compress is applied for 2 hours in the evening before bedtime.
The same compress can be made without honey, using only cabbage leaves.
Cabbage leaf after injections
Apply similarly to a cough compress. You can use cabbage leaf with or without honey.
Cabbage leaf at temperature
The prepared (softened) cabbage leaf is applied to the forehead and temples. And they change every 10-15 minutes. They don’t cover it with cellophane film or anything at all. In this case, the damp and cool cabbage leaf has a cooling effect. To strengthen it, it is better to keep “replaceable” cabbage leaves in the refrigerator until application.
I hope this article helped you appreciate all the advantages and disadvantages of cabbage. Now you know that cabbage is good for children. Stay healthy!
At what age can children be given cabbage, what vitamins and microelements it contains, as well as recipes for children’s dishes that can be prepared from cabbage in our material.
Cabbage is the name of a two-year-old herbaceous plant and the fruit of the same name. Cabbage came to us from the Mediterranean coast around the 9th century and we loved it very much. Already in the 12th century, cabbage was cultivated throughout Rus'. Later it became a staple food.
Useful properties of cabbage
Cabbage is useful for good functioning of the kidneys and thyroid gland, and hematopoietic processes. Cabbage is rich in vitamins C, A, B1, B2, B3, P, PP, H, provitamin B.
Cabbage contains almost no starch and sucrose. Therefore, it is very useful for those who follow a low-carb diet. Thanks to fiber, cabbage helps remove cholesterol from the body and normalizes intestinal microflora. Cabbage also contains potassium, calcium, magic, iron, and phosphorus.
Contains rare vitamin U, which promotes the healing of duodenal and stomach ulcers.
Almost 90% of cabbage consists of water. It has useful qualities, including dietary and taste. Cabbage also contains a high percentage of protein. It contains rare vitamin U, which promotes the healing of duodenal and stomach ulcers.
Table: Composition and nutritional properties of cabbage
100 grams of cabbage contains 28 kcal
Contraindications to eating cabbage
You need to use cabbage very carefully if you have flatulence, diarrhea, or increased acidity of gastric juice. It is not recommended to eat fresh white cabbage if you have a peptic ulcer.
At what age can cabbage be given to children?
Children can only eat cabbage from the age of one and a half years. This is because cabbage can cause bloating and colic, and children's bodies are very sensitive to gas formation.
Cabbage can be introduced into a child’s diet, either as an independent product or as part of dishes. For starters, you can add it to the soup. Later - with casseroles and salads.
Cabbage for children: cabbage recipes
What can be prepared from cabbage for children: we have prepared recipes for the most popular dishes for you. These are borscht, salad, stewed cabbage and cabbage rolls.
Borscht with cabbage: recipe for children aged 2-3 years
The main difference between borscht for children and borscht for adults is the fat content of the broth. You can cook with vegetable broth, chicken broth, lean beef, or use meatballs.
Ingredients for borscht:
- Potatoes - 2 pcs.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- White cabbage - 200 g
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Tomato juice - 0.5 cups
- Beetroot 0.5 pcs.
- Meat to taste: chicken thigh, beef 200 g or minced meatballs 200 g
How to cook borscht for a child:
- Place the meat in cold water and cook for 40-50 minutes (it is better to cook the meatballs separately). Remove the finished meat from the broth and strain the broth. Cut the meat into pieces.
- Peel the potatoes, cut them, put them in the broth and put them on the fire.
- In the meantime, you need to finely chop the onion, grate the carrots and beets and sauté them in a frying pan with vegetable oil. Then pour a little broth into the frying pan, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for about five to seven minutes.
- When the potatoes are almost ready, combine the stewed vegetables with the broth. Add shredded cabbage and cook for 10 minutes. Add some salt. Add tomato juice, bring to a boil, turn off and leave the borscht to simmer under the lid.
When serving, place sliced meat or meatballs on a plate.
Lifehack: If your child does not like vegetables floating in borscht, offer your child borscht puree by grinding regular borscht in a blender.
If the previous advice did not work, try cutting the vegetables as coarsely as possible while cooking borscht, this will make it easier to separate them from the liquid part when serving. To make the borscht more filling, mash the borscht potatoes with a fork or beat them with a blender and mix everything thoroughly.
Cabbage salad: cabbage recipe for children aged 2-3 years
When making coleslaw for your baby, don't be afraid to change the recipe to suit your baby's tastes. You can add carrots, nuts, and herbs to this salad. You can use red cabbage or even two types of cabbage at the same time: red and white cabbage.
Ingredients for coleslaw:
- Chicken fillet - 100 g
- White cabbage - 150 g
- Cucumber - 1 pc.
- Vegetable oil
How to make cabbage salad for a child:
- First you need to thinly slice the cabbage.
- Boil the chicken fillet, cut it into cubes.
- Also cut the cucumber into cubes.
- Mix everything and season with vegetable oil.
Stewed cabbage: cabbage recipe for children over 3 years old
There are also a great many recipes for stewed cabbage. It all depends on personal preferences. We offer a basic option. You can vary it up by adding lean meat, bacon or mushrooms for adults.
Ingredients for stewed cabbage:
- White cabbage - 500-800 g
- Carrots - 1-2 pcs.
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Tomato juice - 100 ml
- Water - 100 ml
- Vegetable oil
- Salt, pepper, green onions
How to cook stewed cabbage for a child:
- First you need to chop the cabbage, cut the carrots into circles or semicircles, and chop the onion.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil to a thick-bottomed pan and heat. Sauté onions and carrots until soft, add cabbage.
- Then add tomato juice and water. Bring to a boil and simmer until done.
Cabbage for children can be stewed without tomato juice. And for adults, add fried bacon to the finished dish.
Stuffed cabbage rolls: cabbage recipe for a child over 3 years old
The good thing is that you can cook this dish once, and then divide it into parts and store it in the freezer, simply reheating a new portion when needed.
Ingredients for cabbage rolls:
- Cabbage - 1 head
- Rice 0.5 cups
- Low-fat minced meat 300 g
- Carrots - 1-2 pcs.
- Onions - 1-2 pcs.
- Tomato juice or paste
How to cook cabbage rolls for children:
- First, you need to boil a head of cabbage until the outer leaves are soft (moderately soft, not tissue-soft). Remove the top leaves and return the head of cabbage to boiling water. Then again remove the leaves that have become soft and continue to cook the head of cabbage.
- Boil the rice until half cooked. Raw rice will not cook through cabbage rolls, and fully cooked rice will turn into a paste.
- Peel and chop the carrots and onions. First, saute the carrots in a frying pan until soft, then add the onion and simmer the vegetables a little more.
- Mix rice, minced meat, vegetables. Add some salt. Mix thoroughly. This will be the filling for cabbage rolls.
- Now we will “twist” the cabbage rolls. Take a cabbage leaf and wrap the filling in it so that it does not peek out of the cabbage roll.
- Place the cabbage rolls tightly on the bottom of a pan with a thick bottom, greased with vegetable oil. The cabbage rolls must lie seam side down, otherwise the filling will spill out.
- Fill the cabbage rolls with water and tomato juice so that the liquid does not cover them. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 40-60 minutes.
Now you know at what age you can give your child cabbage and recipes for dishes that can be prepared from cabbage for children.
Read even more recipes in the section. Read about when to introduce new foods into your baby’s diet, about the beneficial properties of these foods and how to diversify your baby’s menu with new dishes.
Your baby is growing, gaining strength, and mother’s milk or formula alone is no longer enough to provide adequate nutrition for the baby. It's time to feed the baby! Cauliflower puree for babies is one of the first dishes recommended by doctors to introduce a baby to adult foods. Do not start complementary feeding with fruit purees. There is a high probability that after this the baby will refuse vegetables.
But remember that world experts recommend starting complementary feeding no earlier than 6 months. For infants, subject to normal weight gain, it is allowed from 7. Until this age is reached, breast milk and formula perfectly nourish the baby, and the baby’s digestive tract is still immature and not ready for new foods. If complementary foods are introduced prematurely, the baby may have problems with digestion and bowel movements.
Which cabbage is suitable for a baby
If you are choosing between cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, then you need to give preference to cauliflower. It is easily digested, does not make the tummy bloat, and the vegetable does not cause allergies in small eaters. Cauliflower has a delicate and mild taste, which is good for baby. It is better not to give regular cabbage to your baby. It can cause a very swollen tummy. It is better to choose a suitable cauliflower recipe.
Cauliflower is a valuable dietary product. It is recommended as a source of iron. This is especially true if the baby has iron deficiency anemia. Cauliflower contains phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium, vitamins A, D, B and E, as well as K, H, PP and all the mineral salts necessary for the body.
How to choose cauliflower
When choosing a head of cabbage, pay attention to the following points:
- The inflorescences should be dense and white with a slight yellowish or greenish tint
- The leaves around the edges should be green, not limp and yellowed. This is a sign that the cabbage has been lying around for a long time.
- Make sure that there are no black or gray spots on the inflorescences. If they are, then the vegetable has already begun to deteriorate.
When there is no fresh cabbage, you can make puree from frozen vegetables. This product contains much less useful substances than fresh ones, but it still contains valuable proteins and fibers. Make sure there are no pieces of ice in the frozen cabbage. This indicates that the product has been re-frozen. If possible, it is better to freeze fresh inflorescences yourself in the summer.
How to cook cauliflower for a baby
The recipe for making puree is very quick and simple. You will need about 100 g of cauliflower.
Before cooking, you need to disassemble the cabbage into inflorescences and soak them in cold salted water for about an hour. This is necessary to clean the vegetable from possible chemicals and small insects.
If you are making the puree on the stove, add enough water to the pan to cover the vegetables. Place on the stove, wait until it boils, reduce heat and cook for another 10 minutes. Then drain the inflorescences in a colander. Cooked cabbage usually turns yellowish in color. You cannot cook vegetables in aluminum pans.
Vegetables cooked in a double boiler retain the maximum amount of nutrients. Steam the cauliflower for about 15 minutes.
You can cook cauliflower in a slow cooker. Its preparation time is at least 25 minutes.
First try the finished inflorescences yourself to see if they are soft enough. Undercooked purees make worse results. If the cabbage is ready, then it's time to chop it. This can be done using a blender or sieve. The mass should be as homogeneous as possible. There is no need to salt anything; babies up to one year old do not need salt at all.
While chopping, gradually add the remaining vegetable broth from the pan to the cabbage. If you are just starting to feed your baby, the consistency of the resulting puree should be only slightly thicker than breast milk or formula. In this case, the recipe recommends taking mother’s milk or the formula that the baby eats as a liquid. Over time, you need to make the mass thicker. Baby puree is ready!
Remember that the temperature of the dish should be lukewarm, like breast milk or formula. It is better to introduce complementary foods in the morning so that you can monitor during the day whether the child has an allergic reaction to the product. You need to start with half a teaspoon, gradually increasing the volume. By the age of one year, the baby should eat 100 g of the product.
You cannot store puree; you need to prepare a new one each time. Some people freeze the fresh finished product, but then it will lose some of its nutrients and will not differ from the store-bought one.
White cabbage in a child's diet
If your baby is not yet one year old, you should not introduce him to this vegetable. This type of cabbage contains a lot of coarse fiber, which will lead to increased gas formation in the baby. After a year you can start, but together with other vegetables. The creamy soup recipe is quite simple.
- Any vegetables are taken in arbitrary proportions. For example, a potato tuber, a piece of zucchini, half a carrot, a piece of cabbage, pumpkin. Don't forget about the onion, take a quarter of a small onion
- Vegetables are peeled, washed and cut into small pieces
- Everything is poured into a suitable container (not aluminum) and filled with water until it covers the vegetables
- Cook the soup for about 20-25 minutes. Then everything is mixed with a blender or kneaded with a fork.
Is it possible to feed a baby canned purees?
Cauliflower from jars also has a right to exist. Moreover, now the production of baby food is strictly controlled, the manufacturing recipe is observed. To make purees, high-quality products are used and technologies are used to preserve vitamins.
Jarred baby puree is useful if you are visiting, or maybe you simply don’t have the time or desire to cook.
When buying jars, look at the expiration date and the concavity of the lid. You should hear a slight pop when opening the jar. You should not store an open jar.
You shouldn’t disdain this vegetable; it’s a really necessary product for a child. Cabbage puree, prepared by you or from a jar, will only benefit your baby. Bon appetit to your little one!
Red cabbage is a type of vegetable plant from the “cabbage family.” The name refers to the bright red-violet color of its leaves. It does not differ in shape from its white-headed relative - the heads of cabbage are round or cone-shaped. It was first cultivated by the inhabitants of the Mediterranean. It appeared in Russia in the 17th century. True, it is not as popular as white cabbage. Apparently, not everyone knows the benefits of its composition.
Parents who love dishes made from bright red cabbage are interested in the possibility of using it in baby food and the beneficial properties of this product for the child’s body.
Red cabbage has a denser head than white cabbage, and the bright color of its leaves depends on the amount of water-soluble anthocyanin pigments contained in the vegetable.
But the main difference between red cabbage is its rich set of vitamins. It contains:
- vitamins PP, U, E, H, K;
- the whole complex (B 1, B 2, B 4, B 5, B 6, B 9);
- the content is 4 times higher than the amount in white cabbage;
- 2 times more.
Minerals in red cabbage include:
- potassium;
- sodium;
- manganese;
- phosphorus;
- selenium
Red cabbage contains 7.4 g of carbohydrates/100 g. Vegetable proteins and amino acids amount to 1.4 g/100 g with a minimum amount of fat - 0.16 g/100 g. The vegetable is low in calories - only 26 kcal per 100 g of product .
It should be noted that the bright leaves contain significant amounts of dietary fiber – 2.1 g/100 g. The composition contains compounds important for the body:
- zeaxanthin;
- lutein;
- lycopene
Benefit
The color of this vegetable is due to its high content of anthocyanin pigments.
The biologically active components of red cabbage determine its positive effect on the body:
- The phytoncides contained in the vegetable provide its antibacterial activity, that is, a destructive effect on bacteria and fungi. Red-violet cabbage has a bactericidal effect even on tubercle bacilli.
- Anthocyanins perform a variety of functions:
- promote the removal of toxins and waste from the body;
- have strong antioxidant properties;
- neutralize the effects of free radicals and reduce the risk of malignant tumors;
- strengthen the vascular wall and prevent heart disease;
- ensure the norm of leukocytes (white blood cells) and increase the effectiveness of treatment for leukemia (malignant blood disease).
- Folic acid, or vitamin B9, is necessary for the growth and development of the child’s body, improving memory, normal hematopoiesis, and ensuring healthy blood.
- B vitamins and phosphorus help improve brain performance, improve memory and concentration, strengthen the child’s nervous system, normalize sleep, eliminate depression, and lower blood pressure in adolescents. The use of the product is especially useful for schoolchildren.
- Vitamins C, PP, K increase blood clotting, so cabbage will be useful for children with frequent nosebleeds and bleeding gums.
- It is recommended that a child take red cabbage juice when he or she coughs for easier removal of sputum from the bronchi. It is also useful for pneumonia, tuberculosis, and bronchial asthma.
- Gargling the throat and mouth with cabbage juice is indicated for gingivitis (inflammation of the gums), pharyngitis (inflammation of the pharynx), and hoarseness.
- Vitamin C helps strengthen and prevent viral infections. Consumption of vegetables is especially important during the seasonal increase in morbidity.
- Cabbage juice normalizes.
- The mild diuretic effect of red cabbage can be used if a child has edema or kidney disease.
- Microelements in red cabbage accelerate wound healing and ensure healthy hair and skin. Traditional medicine recommends applying a cabbage leaf to the site of a bruise, abrasion, post-injection infiltration (seal at the injection site).
- Due to the presence of iron and folic acid in cabbage, its juice can improve blood test results in a child.
- The low calorie content of the product, combined with a supply of useful nutrients, allows it to be used in a diet if a child has.
Harm and contraindications
Although red cabbage is a healthy vegetable for the body, there are still a number of contraindications for its consumption by a child.
The introduction of cabbage into the diet of children should be abandoned (or significantly limited) if:
- chronic diseases of the digestive organs: gastritis, colitis;
- tendency to flatulence and diarrhea.
Cabbage should not be given to children during the rehabilitation period after surgery on the thoracic and abdominal organs.
Cabbage is not a highly allergenic product; it practically does not cause allergies, but individual intolerance cannot be completely excluded.
How to select and store
Red cabbage can be added to soups, salads or stews - When purchasing red cabbage, you should choose plugs that have a bright, rich, dark purple color.
- It should be dense and hard to the touch. If it is soft, you should not take it - the process of rotting has begun inside.
- The majority of the leaves should adhere well to the head of cabbage, only a few leaves may lag behind it. Otherwise, the cabbage may be less tasty.
- Cabbage leaves should be firm and crispy. If they are soft and limp, then the cabbage is old or damaged. Multiple lesions and dark spots on cabbage leaves can appear due to rotting and worm damage.
- Large heads of cabbage are tastier, so when teaching your baby to cabbage, it is better to choose large forks.
You can store cabbage in the cellar on racks or hanging. The optimal temperature for storing cabbage is from +1 0 C to -1 0 C, and humidity is 90-98%. When the temperature rises above +4 0 C, cabbage will germinate.
In the refrigerator, it is advisable to wrap the head of cabbage in a paper napkin and place it in a plastic bag, but do not tie it.
Once prepared, cabbage juice can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day.
When and how to introduce it into a child’s diet
- Brussels sprouts;
- colored;
- broccoli;
- a small amount of white cabbage.
Red cabbage can be introduced into the diet of a child older than one year, when the baby is already accustomed to other vegetables. Red cabbage can be added to vegetable purees, soups, and stews. At first it is added in small quantities, and if tolerated, the portion is gradually increased.
In its raw form (in salads), red leaf cabbage can be given to a child after 3 years of age, when he already chews food well and the enzyme system of the digestive organs is more mature. In salads, red cabbage can be combined not only with greens, but also with oranges, avocado, etc.
Red cabbage can be fermented. But children can consume sauerkraut in small quantities only after 5 years. Cabbage juice can be prepared using a juicer.
Summary for parents
Red cabbage has a richer vitamin and mineral composition than regular white cabbage. Its healing properties allow the product to be used for many diseases for their prevention and treatment.
Red leaf cabbage will be especially useful for frequent bleeding in a child, for bronchopulmonary diseases, ranging from banal bronchitis to tuberculosis and asthma.
To avoid unpleasant phenomena from the gastrointestinal tract, you do not need to give your child too much of this vegetable. Be sure to take into account contraindications for its use.
Opinions differ on the question of when to give cabbage ☘️ to a child and what its benefits are. The reason for this is the possibility of provoking bloating in the baby’s intestines. Therefore, other types of cabbage are added to the diet first, and then white cabbage. Parents often refuse such vegetable “supplements”, underestimating its role in the nutrition of their children. Let's look at the main points of using cabbage in baby food.
Vitamins and nutrients
White cabbage ☘️ contains many useful components. Not a single vegetable can compare with it in this regard. In terms of protein content, it is in the lead and is located next to carrots and beets. This vegetable is valued for its acids, which cannot be replaced. These acids ✨accelerate cell growth, normalize adrenal function, without them the process of hematopoiesis is impossible.
⭐️ The white cabbage beauty is valuable due to its high content of vitamins and minerals, as well as:
- the ability of vitamin C to retain its properties in cabbage for a long time;
- the presence of vitamin K, which normalizes lipid metabolism, heals wounds, strengthens bones and teeth;
- a large amount of bioflavonoids;
- vitamins of group P, B;.
- rare vitamin U, which helps heal stomach and duodenal ulcers, as well as an effective assistant in the fight against gastritis;
- niacin, the main function of which is to reduce cholesterol and normalize lipoprotein;
- carotene;
- vitamin D.
Benefit
⭐️ Main beneficial properties:
- regulates intestinal function, eliminating constipation;
- increases the secretion of gastric juice, increases appetite;
- with the help of fiber it eliminates toxins and restores microflora;
- activates metabolism;
- strengthens blood vessels.
- reduces swelling;
- activates blood flow;
- prevents the formation of fats and lowers cholesterol levels.
Cabbage has an analgesic effect and the ability to treat cholelithiasis.
Introducing cabbage into a child's diet
Doctors recommend starting to include cabbage in the children's menu after the child has mastered ✨ cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. When asked at what age it can be given to a child, baby nutrition experts answer unequivocally: not earlier than five months for an “artificial baby” and six months for an infant, and it is better to give it from the age of one year.
⭐️ But you should remember these points:
- young children should not be given fried cabbage;
- if your baby has a tummy ache, remove cabbage from the menu;
- If you suspect an allergy from cabbage, you should consult a pediatrician or allergist.
If a child has diarrhea as a “frequent guest”, cabbage is not yet included in the diet. A child aged two to three years, who can eat sour foods, is also given sauerkraut, but in small quantities.
Contraindications
There are more benefits from cabbage ☘️, but you also need to know what harm it can cause. It is harmful to give your baby a lot of cabbage. An excess of it leads to bloating, nausea, and flatulence.
⭐️ Contraindications are:
- the baby has a stomach or intestinal ulcer;
- bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract;
- increased peristalsis;
- enterocolitis.
Basic cooking rules
Children unfamiliar with the vegetable can be introduced only after the previous product has been completely mastered. The cabbage variety is hypoallergenic and rarely causes an allergic reaction. But caution must be exercised.
For the first couple of months, the baby is given cabbage puree ☘️ with the addition of milk, salt, etc. And when the stomach adapts to the new vegetable, you can try combining it with products already introduced into the baby’s diet, for example, mashed potatoes.
It is better not to give raw vegetables to small children, and fried vegetables should not be given at all. The vegetable is well absorbed in borscht, mashed potatoes or casseroles.
What you can cook - let's diversify the menu
✨ In children's diets from the age of two, you can introduce cabbage leaf dishes such as casserole, soup, stew with the addition of zucchini, potatoes.
❤️ Recipe No. 1. To prepare, boil the chicken breast lightly and drain the broth. refill with water. A secondary broth is obtained in which the meat is cooked until cooked. Homemade beef sausages for children are added there (this is optional). Sausages and meat are crumbled after cooling. Next, chop pickled cucumbers (half a kilo), a couple of carrots, a medium onion, and tomato paste. Add greens, bay leaves and garlic.
The shredded vegetables and other ingredients are sent into the broth and boiled until the vegetables are cooked, take out the shredded cabbage and send it there to cook. When it's cooked. Combine the ingredients, add a spoonful of tomato paste, and boil again.
❤️ Recipe No. 2. Take 300 grams of meat for the soup (you can use chicken breast). Add tomato paste, medium carrots, 4 cloves of garlic, a kilo of white cabbage, about four ripe tomatoes and an onion.
Shred the cabbage and cook in a large saucepan so that it is easy to stir. The carrots are peeled and grated coarsely. But the onions are cut smaller. The meat is also chopped, a frying pan is placed on the stove, and vegetables and meat, except cabbage, are placed on it. After the vegetables are cooked, they are added to the boiled cabbage, after adding water. Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil, adding tomato paste to taste and seasoning with herbs. The dish is ready.
