Discover 8 benefits of okra for the health of children

Okra is a very healthy root vegetable. For young children, the benefits of okra not only in strengthening the immune system but also as a miracle to help laxatives and stabilize digestion.

Taking care of the child is a very hard journey with a lot of anxiety. If you are a parent for the first time, you will have a lot of headache in choosing foods for your baby when your baby is about to learn to wean .

Okra is a very healthy vegetable for adults, but what about children? Watch the following shares of aFamilyToday Health to get answers to this question.

Okra - A nutritious dish for both adults and children

Okra is a popular root vegetable in tropical countries and is believed to have originated in Africa. Currently, okra is grown mainly in tropical and subtropical climates. Okra contains a lot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are essential for the body. Not only that, with its high fiber content, this fruit and vegetable is also known as a great laxative medicine .

You can completely feed okra to your baby. However, because okra is quite viscous, it is difficult for mothers to puree the baby. Therefore, it is best to wait until your baby can handle the food and chew and swallow it well, then let him eat this vegetable.

Normally, you can feed your baby between 14-18 months old. In addition to this, when feeding your baby, you can completely rest assured because this dish does not have a high risk of allergies.

Nutritional composition of okra

Here are the nutritional ingredients in 100g okra:

Water: 89.58g

Protein: 1.93g

Carbohydrates: 7.45g

Calcium: 82mg

Magnesium: 57mg

Potassium: 299mg

Zinc: 0.59mg

Vitamin B1: 0.2mg

Vitamin B3: 1g

Folic acid: 60ug

Vitamin E: 0.27mg

Energy: 33kcal

Fat: 0.19g

Sugar: 1.48g

Iron: 0.62mg

Phosphorus: 61mg

Sodium: 7mg

Vitamin C: 23mg

Vitamin B2: 0.060mg

Vitamin B6: 0.215mg

Vitamin A: 716IU

Vitamin K: 31,3ug

8 benefits of okra for children's health

Here are some of the health benefits of okra for children if you feed them regularly:

Provides vitamins and minerals: Okra is a good source of many different vitamins such as vitamins A, C, B, B1, B3, B9 and vitamin E. All of these vitamins play an important role in the development. physical and mental of the baby. In addition to the above vitamins, okra also contains minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc ... essential for your baby's development.

Rich in antioxidants:  Okra contains a lot of antioxidants that are good for the body. A diet rich in maggots is rich in antioxidants that will help prevent the damaging of free radicals produced during metabolism. These free radicals can damage cells and DNA.

"Miracle" laxative: Like other vegetables, okra is rich in fiber, the amount of fiber in 100 grams of okra meets 10% of the fiber that the body needs each day. Therefore, okra will support the child's digestive system to work better, preventing constipation . In addition, the vitamin A content in okra also contributes to the mucous membrane in the colon to function well, making it easier to bowel.

Prevent anemia: Eating okra regularly will help the body produce more red blood cells. When red blood cells are at a stable level, nutrients are fully transported to all parts of the body. This is especially important for young children because at this age, their bodies need nutrients to develop.

Treatment of dysentery and diarrhea: Ayurveda , one of the oldest medicine from India, has shown that okra can be a very effective remedy for diarrhea and dysentery .

Good for eye health: Vitamin C, vitamin A found in okra can help reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration in children.

Building strong bones: Thanks to the high amount of vitamin K and folate, okra is also considered a "savior" in preventing bone loss and osteoporosis .

Good for the skin: The high content of vitamin C is essential for the growth of skin cells. Therefore, there is no reason to deny the benefits of okra in helping young skin become healthy and smooth.

Tips for mothers to choose and preserve okra

To have delicious food from okra for children, you need to know how to buy delicious, crispy okra:

You should choose fresh okra, the fruit has a glossy green color, the outer shell has a thin cilia, does not appear bruise or foreign matter.

Do not choose too soft, too long fruit because the longer and bigger the fruit, the older it is.

Use your hand to break the tail of the okra. If it breaks easily and breaks right away, it's young, crispy okra. If you can't, if you break it, it's old okra.

You should choose to buy okra at reputable and familiar vegetable stores or large supermarkets to be sure of quality.

After buying, you can wash and process immediately or if not used, you put in a plastic bag or paper bag and then put in the refrigerator cooler and use gradually. With this preservation, okra will always be fresh and can be kept for 4–5 days.

Recipes of delicious okra that you should try

After you have chosen the freshest okra fruit, you can feed your baby steamed / boiled okra to feel the pure sweetness of the dish or make okra stuffed with fish slices or grilled okra. with seafood… for your baby to enjoy. In addition, you should try processing okra into dishes such as:

1. Shrimp & Okra Oat Porridge

Materials need to prepare:

Oats: 50 grams

Large shrimp: 2 shrimp

Okra: 3 fruits

Chicken broth: 1 bowl (cup)

Some coriander and onions.

Doing:

Soak the oats in water until soft.

Shrimps peel, remove the head, use a knife blade along the spine to remove black thread, then wash, chopped or minced.

Remove the outer coat of okra using a knife and shave several times. Then cut along, remove the seeds, rinse. You can chop it up or use a blender.

Onions and coriander washed and chopped.

The onion is fragrant, then add the prepared shrimp, stir fry for hunting.

Put the oats, okra, and shrimp in the pot, then pour the chicken broth, boil until the oats have swelled and the okra is cooked, turn off the heat. Sprinkle a little more cilantro and wait for the porridge to cool, then add 2 teaspoons of oil for baby to eat, mix well. Cold porridge is you can let your baby enjoy.

2. Beef okra soup

Materials need to prepare:

Beef fillet: 100g

Okra: 100g

Carrot: 1/3 bulb

Cilantro (cilantro): 2 plants

Cornstarch (corn): 1 tablespoon

Beef broth

3 teaspoons sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon seasoning seed.

Doing:

Mince or mince beef , marinate with seasoning seeds, sesame oil, leave for about 10 minutes.

Okra remove stalks, diced or sliced ​​thinly and finely. Note that if your baby has grown up and has a good chewing ability, you may not be able to handle minced beef and okra.

Carrots peeled, chopped or finely chopped.

Cilantro washed, chopped.

Boil the broth, cook the carrots for about 5 minutes, then bring the okra to boil, drop the beef and cook for another 5 minutes, stir well.

Add sesame oil and cornstarch mixed with a little cold water, stir well, season with salt to taste.

Scoop the soup into a bowl, sprinkle with finely chopped cilantro, let your baby use it hot.

Above is some useful information about the benefits of okra for young children. Hopefully with this information, you will find many ways to cook delicious dishes with okra for your baby to use.