‘Better than just Mock Meat!’
Yes indeed, the Jackfruit is far more than being a good plant-based substitute for all those meat-eaters who are looking to go vegetarian! It has a whole host of wonderful health benefits, that can be availed of by babies as young as 6 months of age.
This tropical fruit, characterized by its distinct taste that is most unlike the taste of any other fruit out there, has several benefits for adults and children alike. In this article from the EuroKids stable, we have curated, especially for all you parents, a list of the advantages of eating jackfruit for your little ones. Apart from this, we even have some cool jackfruit recipes for babies, to wean them into eating this exotic fruit, at a very tender age.
Get started, with a close look at jackfruit nutritional value!
Table of Contents
- The Advantages of Eating Jackfruit: Jackfruit Nutritional Value
- The Joy of Jackfruit: The Advantages of eating Jackfruit for Children
- The Disadvantages of Jackfruit for Kids
- Jackfruit Recipes for your little one
The Advantages of eating Jackfruit: Jackfruit Nutritional value
Jackfruit definitely makes for one of the preferred fruits of choice, for feeding your kids.
Presenting the jackfruit nutritional value that stems from a single cup of this sliced exotic fruit!
Jackfruit Nutritional Value: Nutrition in a Single Cup of Jackfruit
- Protein 3 g
- Fiber 3 g
- Calories 155
- Carbohydrates 38.3 g
- Fat 1.1 g
- Vitamin C 22.6 mg
- Calcium 39.6 mg
- Magnesium 47.8 mg
- Niacin 1.5 mg
- Riboflavin 0.1 mg
- Potassium 739 mg
- Phosphorus 34.6 mg
As you can see, there’s a ‘lot’ that goes into only a ‘modest’ serving of jackfruit!
The Joy of Jackfruit: The Advantages of eating Jackfruit for Children
The advantages of eating jackfruit for kids are more than you might have imagined!
Presenting the top advantages of eating jackfruit, vis a vis the health of your child.
- Helps fight Inflammation
- Great for Digestion
- Packed with Protein
- Great for Wound Healing
- Supports Brain Development
- Responsible for Healthy Bone Development
If you’re wondering why this one’s at the top of the list, it’s because Inflammation is far more serious than one can imagine. If it gets out of control, it can increase your child’s risk for chronic conditions like diabetes and even cancer!
Cool Fact: The vitamin C and antioxidants that jackfruit is packed with, will help your child keep that inflammation well at bay.
All babies are prone to digestive issues that lead to unwanted problems like constipation.
Cool Fact: It’s the high ‘fiber’ content in jackfruit, that is responsible for aiding your child’s digestion, and preventing the likes of constipation.
Adults are not the only ones who need more protein!
Cool Fact: This tropical fruit is packed with protein that is essential for the overall growth and development of your little one.
Your child is prone to all kinds of falls that end up in those ‘cuts’ and ‘bruises’ that need to heal fast.
Cool Fact: That vitamin C the jackfruit contains, is used to make ‘collagen’, that plays a pivotal role in healing wounds in children.
The healthy fats in jackfruit, ensure that the brain development of your child gets a solid boost!
It’s not only milk that is laced with plenty of calcium – the jackfruit is, too!
Cool Fact: The high content of calcium in the jackfruit works towards the healthy bone development in children. What’s more, the ample potassium content ensures that excess calcium is not lost through the kidneys!
The Disadvantages of Jackfruit for Kids
Needless to say, every good thing in life comes with its share of negatives.
Presenting the disadvantages of jackfruit, that you might wish to keep in consideration when thinking of feeding your child this fruit.
- Adverse reactions. Your child might just find themselves ‘allergic’ to this exotic fruit.
- Can cause gas. The high magnesium content in jackfruit, can lead to an unwanted case of ‘gas’.
- Choking hazard. You might want to be careful with how you feed jackfruit to an especially young baby!
Jackfruit Recipes for your Little One
Looking for a cool jackfruit recipe or two for your child?
Presenting a couple of jackfruit recipes, that will make the eating of jackfruit for your child, a far more pleasurable experience!
Jackfruit Recipe 1: Jackfruit Sheera
Nothing delights kids more than some good old ‘Nani’s sheera’!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup chopped jackfruit
- 1 cup Nestle A + milk
- 1 tbsp chopped cashew nuts
- 2 tbsp suji
- ¼ tsp powdered green elaichi
- 1 tsp chopped pistachios
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp saffron
Instructions
- Roast the ghee and suji in a pan, till you get a light-brown mixture.
- Add the chopped jackfruit and mix well, before adding the cashews and pistachios.
- Pour in the milk, and leave it to simmer. Then add the elaichi powder and saffron.
- Covering the mix, cook until the jackfruit is tender. Then stir the mixture well over low flame.
- Garnish with some more saffron,and voila! Your jackfruit sheera is ready to serve!
Jackfruit Recipe 2: Jackfruit Puree with Banana and Strawberry
This one’s sure to be a hit, especially with the younger kids!
Ingredients
- Jackfruit – 7 pods
- Strawberries – 15
- Banana – 1
- Water – ½ cup
- Chia seeds
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients well.
- Chill and serve that lip smacking puree to your baby!
At EuroKids we believe that healthy eating is the foundation of good health for all children. By now we trust you have been sufficiently convinced of the advantages of eating jackfruit for your little one. Go on out there, and stock up on some fresh jackfruit, that you can get your child to eat for the betterment of their health!
