Fresh kohlrabi is notably rich in vitamins and dietary fiber. It it also has negligible amount of fat, and zero cholesterol. It is also a good source of vitamin c for your baby and acts as a powerful antioxidant. It helps maintain your little one’s teeth, gums, and healthy connective tissues. Kohlrabi also helps in protecting your child against anemia and strengthens immune system. It is also abundant in carotenes, vitamin-A, vitamin K, minerals and B-complex group of vitamins.

How to introduce kohlrabi in your child’s diet

Kohlrabi belongs to the cabbage family and is eaten widely in Asia and Europe. In American cuisine also it is making its presence felt slowly but steadily. It has a large round and swollen stem with leaves pointing straight up. Kohlrabi can be used raw in salads and tastes a bit like turnip and radish.

Kohlrabi is a great choice for infants and babies and can be used as a replacement for potatoes. Because of its rich mineral and vitamin content that is essential for growth and development for infants and babies, kohlrabi can be given to babies after the introduction of solid food after 6 months of age. Though it is an ideal food for your baby you will need to prepare it for your child. You can mash or puree them with other vegetables or prepare porridge, soups, stews, and salads with kohlrabi. For older children you can also prepare roasted kohlrabi or can include the kohlrabi greens in salads, stir fired with garlic, and mixed with quinoa or served with rice.

Health Benefits of Kohlrabi for your child

The vegetable has a mildly sweet flavor and crunchy texture and can be eaten raw in salads or cooked with other vegetables. It is packed with health benefits for your child. It is consumed by children across Europe and Asia. Let us look at some of the health benefits of Kohlrabi for your child.

It helps protect your child against anemia

Kohlrabi has abundant iron content and can effectively protect your baby from chances of anemia. Loss of iron in your child’s body can lead to many complications such as fatigue, nausea, headache, stomach pains, and easily distracted. Children are most prone to these deficiency related health problems. Introduction of kohlrabi in your child’s diet will also help in absorption of nutrients from other foods and in combating possible iron deficiency.

Helps in strengthening bones and keeping teeth healthy

Kohlrabi has high iron, calcium, and manganese content. These minerals are invaluable for maintaining and strengthening your baby’s bones. In older children consumption of kohlrabi assists in protecting their bones and keeping teeth healthy. 100 gms of kohlrabi contains approximately 62.0 mg of vitamin C which constitutes 103% of the recommended daily value for your child. For the bones and teeth to growth in a healthy manner and develop your child needs adequate amounts of vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and B (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate). Kohlrabi is an excellent source of these vitamins and can thereby assist in the strengthening of your child’s bones and keeping his or her teeth healthy.

Speeds up your child’s metabolism and helps remove excess weight

If your child has the problem of childhood obesity then kohlrabi is a must in his or her diet. Kohlrabi is an especially rich source of many of B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), pantothenic acid, thiamine, and others. These vitamins act as co-factors to enzymes during metabolism inside your child’s body. In fact your child doesn’t even have to have the vegetable everyday to improve his or her metabolism – once a week consumption is enough to help in removal of excess weight.

Helps in digestion and maintaining your baby’s digestive system

Kohlrabi is a great source of dietary fiber. A one-cup serving of kohlrabi contains about 5 grams of dietary fiber. Fiber helps improve your child’s digestion and prevent constipation. It also helps in easing your child’s bowel movements. Kohlrabi helps your child’s intestines by reducing cramps, eliminating constipation, and reduces bloating of the stomach. Fiber content in kohlrabi also makes your child feel full for longer duration thereby eliminating the need for them to snack on unhealthy foods between meals.

Helps to boost your child’s immune system

Kohlrabi has very high content of vitamin C (62.0mg 103% Daily Value). Vitamin C is hypothesized to increase the production of cytokines and lymphocytes to fight infections. Consumption of kohlrabi by your child can assist in the healing processes, help build strong immune system against flu, cough and colds, and infections.

Assists in Proper Muscle and Nerve Functions

Thanks to its potassium content the vegetable is considered to be one of the key plants that help your child’s muscular and nervous systems. It helps your child endure the physical effort to breathe properly and also helps to see that your child’s nerves are functioning properly and react as they are supposed to. Potassium helps in assisting the transmission of nerve impulses in your child’s body and maintain the balance of heart rhythm and muscle function.

Keeps eyes healthy

There is nothing better than vitamin A that is present in kohlrabi, and it is a rich source of carotenes, including beta-carotene, which has antioxidant effects. This vegetable is considered one of the best guards of eye health for your toddler.

Helps in lowering cholesterol in your child

In today’s world of fast food and  rich oily snacks inclusion of kohlrabi in your child’s diet is a step in the right path to lowering possible cholesterol levels in his or her blood. Kohlrabi is a vegetable low on calories and high on fiber. It helps keep your child feeling fuller for longer without effecting their weight. 100 grams of Kohlrabi contains 27.0 (113 kJ) calories, this is only 1% of the daily value. From Carbohydrate calories for 22.0 (92.1 kJ), From Fat 0.8 (3.3 kJ) and From Protein 4.1 (17.2kJ)

Taking care while giving Kohlrabi to your kids

Kohlrabi, like all cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, etc, contains goitrogens. These compounds can cause swelling of the thyroid gland and should be avoided if your child has been diagnosed with thyroid dysfunction. There are no known allergen content in kohlrabi to which people are sensitive. It can be consumed by children without any concern at least once a week.