Radishes are one of the first vegetables that appear in the diet in the spring and have great benefits for the body.
Containing a large amount of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, vitamins of group B, it is just a salvation for the body tired after a long winter.
When buying fresh radish, many mothers think about it - is it possible to give a vegetable to a child and if so, from what age?
Why is there an age limit?
Radish - vegetable, rather heavy for an organism, as it contains hardly digestible fiber, which the fragile children's organism can not cope with and react with abdominal distention and diarrhea.
Radish doesn’t like small children to taste, as it contains mustard oil, which gives the vegetable its characteristic bitter taste.
A large amount of vitamin C and minerals in radish can cause an allergic reaction.
Product benefits
Without a doubt, children can not only give this spring vegetable, but also need it, since it contains a whole pantry of useful trace elements, such as:
Vitamins of group B. They normalize blood formation, improve the functioning of the nervous system, accelerate metabolic processes in the body of the baby, not allowing toxins to accumulate.- Vitamin C (20 grams of radish contains a daily dose for an adult) increases the body's resistance to infections, improves immunity.
- Vitamin E involved in tissue repair, the synthesis of the necessary hormones.
- Vitamin PP eliminates nerve irritability.
- Sodium, calcium, potassium and fluorine improve the condition of bones and teeth; necessary for the proper operation of the nervous and circulatory systems, heart function.
- Cellulose removes toxins, helps fight constipation;
- mustard oil does not develop pathogenic microflora, kills germs.
Vitamins of group B. They normalize blood formation, improve the functioning of the nervous system, accelerate metabolic processes in the body of the baby, not allowing toxins to accumulate.The main thing - do not rush to the introduction of radishes in the diet of the baby and begin to give it carefully, with the correct dosage.
When is it allowed to give this root vegetable?
The introduction of radish into the baby’s diet too early is not only contraindicated, but also difficult to do. Due to the mustard oils in the composition, few children will be enthusiastic about this vegetable. Pediatricians advised to begin to introduce radishes in the diet of completely healthy children from one and a half yearsIn the presence of allergies and frequent flatulence, problems with the chair - not earlier than two.
Mustard oil is a strong irritant to the digestive system of the baby. Rough fiber can cause diarrhea, colic, vomiting.
Radish perfectly accumulates in the composition of nitrates, which can cause allergies and even poisoning. A large amount of radish in the diet reduces the absorption of iodine by the body.critical for the healthy development of babies up to two years.
It is better to postpone acquaintance with this, no doubt, an extremely useful vegetable until the time when the child becomes acquainted with most other fruits, roots and vegetables.
What can be, if hurry with the introduction of the diet
If you give a radish to a very young child who is not one and a half years old - there may be some not very pleasant consequences. With early prikorma baby may appear:
- severe nausea, vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- allergic reactions;
- pain and bloating in the stomach.
Even a two-year-old baby radish should be given with caution, little by little, closely watching the reaction of the body.
Shopping Tips
Radish accumulates nitrates very well and reacts poorly to long storage, therefore for feeding children it is better to take a vegetable from your garden or in proven farm stores.
The most tasty and healthy fruits are of medium size, bright, dense, with a smooth skin.
Radish when pressed should not be mined. If it is discarded, it has been stored for too long, plus the taste of such a vegetable will be cotton and too bitter.
It is advisable to choose the fruit without spots, black spots and extraneous plaque, beautiful in appearance, with dense not rotten tails.
How to get rid of nitrites and pesticides?
For guaranteed disposal of unwanted body substances vegetable can be soaked for a couple of hours in cold water. Some of the vitamins will be lost, but practically no nitrates will remain.
At the very least, radish can be removed from the skin. This also saves the vegetable from unnecessary bitterness, since most of the mustard oils are concentrated in it.
What is combined?
Radish goes well with all spring vegetables and herbs - green salad, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, green onions. In the salad with radish, you can add boiled potatoes, slices of squash, zucchini. Radish is well combined with young fresh cabbage.
Step by step instructions: how to add to the diet?
First time
For the first acquaintance with the vegetable, it is better to use the vegetable salad already familiar to the kid and add grated radish there - no more than half a teaspoon.
Salad of radish, greens, eggs and cucumber.
- Egg - 1 pc.
- Small radish - 1 pc.
- Cucumber - 2-3 pieces
- Dill and / or parsley - a couple of twigs.
Boiled hard-boiled egg large rub.- Cucumber finely chopped or chopped grated for Korean carrots.
- Greens very finely chop.
- From the radish cut off the top and tail, discard, grate the fruit itself on a fine grater.
- All ingredients are mixed, season with vegetable oil or natural yogurt.
- Lightly salt.
Boiled hard-boiled egg large rub.Give the kid a few spoons of salad in the morning, during lunch, carefully watching the condition.
In subsequent times
If the child responded well to radishes, there is no allergic reaction, nausea or diarrhea - in a couple of weeks, the vegetable can be added to any salads, finely chopped or grated.
Radish salad with cucumbers, cheese and greens.
Ingredients:
- 2 small, bright radishes;
- 1 small cucumber;
- 50 g of any hard cheese;
- 2-3 feathers of green onions;
- 2 tbsp. l sour cream or natural yogurt;
- 1 tbsp. l finely chopped dill.
- Cucumber chopped or chopped grated for Korean cabbage.
- From the radish, cut off the top and tail, discard. If the vegetable is large, remove the skin from it.
- Grate radish or chop finely. For kids older than three years, radishes can be cut into circles.
- Chop green onions, add to dill, mix, mix all the ingredients.
- Add grated cheese and dressing, lightly salted.
Give the baby a salad or side dish during lunch, that is, in the morning.
Maximum dosage
Radishes with radishes should not be entered into the daily diet. Twice a week will be quite enough.
In vegetable salad, the share of radish should not exceed 30%. That is, the portion of lettuce weighing 50 grams recommended by pediatricians for children up to three years of radish can be no more than 10-15 grams. This dosage is comparable to one small vegetable or half a large one.
For older children, two or three medium-sized fruits per week as part of salads will be a limiting dose.
Vegetable Alternative
For children under two years old and older children, for whom radishes for one reason or another are contraindicated, we can offer excellent alternatives to this spring vegetable. Young cabbage, fresh cucumbers, garden greens - onions, parsley, dill, leaf lettuce will be perfectly replaced with radishes in the child’s menu.
As a sharp little alternative, you can offer the child older than three years old daikon - in a grated form, add a little vegetable to the salad.
Thus, with all the richness of radish with vitamins and minerals, it is not worth rushing to introduce it into the baby’s diet. Until the age of one and a half, radishes, even for absolutely healthy children, are contraindicated. For children older than two years, the vegetable should be introduced into the diet in very small portions, and not to offer a salad with radish more than twice a week.
