If you thought that ‘Being Cool’ was merely a state of mind, you might want to do a rethink!
Being Cool is applicable to Mind as well as ‘Body.’ In fact, the two are inextricably linked. How often can you find a person who seems ‘cool’, who is not physically comfortable as well? With summer round the corner, it becomes something of vital importance, to do all we can to get our little ones to ‘cool off’. This includes getting them to eat the right foods, apart from merely having them staying indoors and turning on the air-conditioning!
Luckily for you, in this article we have curated a list of the top 10 Veggies for Toddlers, to help keep those Summer Blues at bay. This list of Vegetables for Babies is especially useful for providing children with foods that will not only help them stay ‘cool’, but provide them ample ‘nutrition’, too. Are you ready to cool off yourself, with the knowledge that you have that veggie shopping list ready, to help your kids beat the summer heat?
Top 10 Summer Vegetables for Babies and Toddlers
Presenting our list of the top 10 Vegetables for Kids that you want on their Menu this upcoming Summer, to help them stay Cool!
- Bottle Gourd
- Eggplant
- Cauliflower
- Corn
- Green Beans
- Onions
- Carrots
- Spinach
How many times have you heard the name ‘Bottle Gourd’ before? Perhaps you know this veggie better by its Hindi name, ‘Lauki’!
Benefits: Lauki has a Water Content of a whopping 96 percent! That’s a good enough reason to eat it, to avoid dehydration this summer. Besides, lauki is also rich in folates and even vitamins A and C.
Tip: If you’re thinking of feeding your small baby lauki, the best way to do this would be by serving it to them as a puree.
Again, in all probability, you know this one better as ‘brinjal.’ Surprised to find it on this list? This is one of those Vegetables for Kids, you don’t want to miss!
Benefits: Did you know, Brinjal is amazing for gut health on account of all the fiber it contains? It’s even laced with several flavonoids that ensure good health.
Cool Fact: Brinjal is known for its versatility in cooking, alongside myriad spices.
Gobi Parantha, anyone? Children will be fascinated with the cool shape of these veggies!
Benefits: Cauliflower, or ‘Gobi’ as we commonly know it, is packed with Calcium, fiber and antioxidants, apart from vitamins A and K.
Tip: One of the best ways to get your toddler to eat that Gobi Parantha, is to serve it with a side of ‘cooling’ Cucumber Raita!
Corn, or ‘bhutta’ as it is commonly called by roadside vendors who sell it roasted, is one of those Vegetables for Toddlers that should be a ‘staple’ for them this summer!
Benefits: Corn is packed with B vitamins, apart from a plethora of other essentials like zinc and iron, that are vital for your little one’s overall health.
Tip: Corn on the cob is a great choice for your toddler. For little babies, you might want to mash or puree this veggie.
Like that ‘lauki’, green beans have a similarly high water content. What’s even cooler is, these veggies are found in nearly every Indian household!
Benefits: Apart from their high water content, green beans make for a great choice of vegetable for your kids this summer, because they are also packed with fiber and antioxidants.
Note: Green beans might cause ‘gas’ in some babies. If it does, you might want to hold on to them for a while.
Pumpkin
It’s the delicious sweetness of Pumpkin, that makes it one of those Vegetables for Kids you don’t want to miss out on this Summer.
Benefits: This sweet Vegetable is laced with beta-carotene, that helps one stay cool. It’s also rich in vitamin A, that helps bolster immunity.
Tip: Pumpkin Soup and Pumpkin Raita make for some excellent recipes with Pumpkin.
No, we don’t want to get kids to ‘cry’ by having them chop onions! Rather, we want them to ‘smile’ when they eat something fun, that’s onion-based. Like perhaps ‘Pyaaz ke Paranthe’!
Benefits: Onions, especially when consumed raw, have been shown to have amazing cooling properties.
Tip: If your child is not fond of eating raw onions, you might want to make a Mint Chutney and sneak those slivers of onion in!
We have grown up thinking that carrots are good for healthy eyes. However, there’s a whole plethora of other benefits that carrots offer.
Benefits: Carrots are great where it comes to strengthening the immune system, and good for overall ‘cell growth’, too.
Note: You do not want to give your baby or toddler raw carrots, as they pose a potential choking hazard. If you do wish to serve them raw, chop them into tiny pieces and serve them as ‘finger food’.
Broccoli
This cool vegetable is increasingly becoming popular in a culture that promotes healthy eating. Why not start kids on it, from their earliest years?
Benefits: Broccoli is a truly nutrient-dense vegetable that is packed with plenty of vitamins.
Tip: When serving broccoli to your baby, you want to ‘mash’ or ‘puree’ it before having them eat it. When they are older, they can eat the ‘steamed’ or ‘boiled’ version of the vegetable, or even those chopped, bite-size broccoli pieces.
Show your child one episode of Popeye the Sailor, and they will be itching to eat this Wonder Vegetable!
Benefits: Spinach is packed with Iron, which is apparently the source of all that strength that Popeye has. Apart from that, it is light on the stomach and has an especially high water content.
Tip: The wonderful thing about spinach, is the fact that this great summer vegetable finds itself in just about any concoction in the kitchen! From dallas to paranthas, it’s an ingredient you certainly want to use every now and then.
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