Eggplant, also known as aubergine, berenjena, or brinjal, is a nutritious food that comes in several varieties. Botanically a berry, this round and slender-shaped food with purple-black peel is mostly used as a vegetable. You can use eggplant for babies to make various delicacies to enhance their nutritional intake. Including this bright and colorful food in your infant’s weaning diet can help them get more nutrients. Read on as we tell you more about the right age to feed eggplant to babies, its health benefits, and some delectable eggplant recipes that you may want to try.
When Can Babies Have Eggplant?
Infants can usually consume eggplant as soon as they are ready for solids, which is generally from the age of six to seven months (though each baby takes its own time). You can first introduce cooked, deseeded eggplant as a mash or a puree. Eggplant is versatile and can be mixed with a variety of foods. Once the baby is comfortable with the food, gradually introduce steamed, boiled, roasted, grilled, or baked eggplant slices as finger foods. Avoid feeding raw eggplant to babies and toddlers since it contains compounds that can irritate the digestive system (1). Eggplant belongs to the same family as tomatoes and chili peppers. If these do not suit your baby, then do consult a doctor before introducing eggplant.
Nutritional Value Of Eggplant
Eggplant can provide several vitamins, such as vitamin A and folate, minerals, a good amount of calcium, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals in considerable amounts. One cup (99 grams) of boiled eggplant prepared without salt can approximately provide the following nutrients (2) (3) (4) (5). Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, World Health Organization, and Oregon State University *AI = Adequate Intake **RE = Retinol Equivalent
Possible Health Benefits Of Eggplant For Infants
Feeding eggplant with different types of foods in moderation can benefit your infant in the long run. Most of these benefits are due to the vitamins and bioactive compounds, like phenols, carotenoids, and alkaloids found in eggplant (6). Eggplant has been in use in traditional medicine to treat several conditions, such as warts, burns, and inflammatory diseases, like stomatitis and gastritis (7).
How To Select And Store Eggplant?
Selecting eggplants can be tricky as some of them are bitter or too seedy. Below are some simple steps to follow for selecting and storing eggplants (10). Selection tips: Storage tips:
Precautions To Take While Feeding Eggplant To Babies And Toddlers
Take these precautions while feeding eggplant to your baby.
Tasty Eggplant Recipes For Babies and Toddlers
Below are some healthy and delightful eggplant recipes for babies above seven months of age. When cooked well, these recipes will help your baby’s taste buds to discover some new flavors.
1. Eggplant puree
You will need:
1 cup organic eggplant (peeled, deseeded, and chopped) 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
How to:
2. Eggplant, plum, and pear puree
You will need:
1 cup eggplant (peeled and chopped) 2 plums (peeled, deseeded, and chopped) 1 pear (peeled, deseeded, and chopped)
How to:
3. Eggplant and cheese
You will need:
1 cup eggplant pieces 2 tsp cheese (grated) 1 tsp dried basil flakes 1 tbsp virgin olive oil
How to:
4. Eggplant sauté
You will need:
1 cup eggplant (thinly chopped) ½ cup of onion (chopped) ½tsp garlic powder ¼tsp basil powder ¼tsp pepper powder 2 tbsp olive oil
How to:
5. Roasted baby eggplant
You will need:
4 baby eggplants 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped) 1/4 cup oregano sprigs 1 tsp kosher salt ½tsp black pepper powder ¾ cup olive oil feta cheese (crumbled)
How to:
6. Mildly spiced tomato and eggplant curry
You will need:
1 cup eggplant pieces (cut into 1/2-inch pieces) 1 onion (chopped) 2 cherry tomatoes (halved) 1 cup of chickpeas (cooked) 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp black pepper powder 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp curry powder ½ cup fresh basil
How to:
7. Eggplant lasagna
You will need:
2 eggplants (thinly sliced lengthwise) ½ pound tomatoes (halved and deseeded) ¼ cup parmesan cheese 1 cup Italian bread crumbs 1 large egg 1 tsp garlic (roughly chopped) 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp black pepper powder 4 tbsp virgin olive oil
How to:
8. Grilled eggplant
You will need:
3 small eggplants (thinly sliced) 1 cup thick-sliced mild provolone ½tbsp balsamic vinegar ½tsp pepper powder ¼ tsp dried oregano ½tsp kosher salt 2 tbsp olive oil
How to:
9. Cheesy eggplant slices
You will need:
4 baby eggplant (fresh) ½tsp minced garlic 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded) 2 tbsp Italian cheese blend 1 tbsp parsley (chopped) 1 cup bread crumbs 1 tbsp dried oregano Salt and pepper to taste
How to:
10. Eggplant parmesan stick
You will need:
1 medium eggplant (peeled) ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour ¼ cup parmesan cheese (grated) ½ cup bread crumbs 2 large eggs (whisked) ½ teaspoon salt Olive oil cooking spray
How to:
