Broccolini

Broccolini can start when your baby is about 6 months old and ready for solids. Though called baby broccoli, it is not young broccoli. It is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli (gai lan). The stalks are long and slim, and the florets are small. The taste is a little sweeter and milder than broccoli.

Plant-based omega-3 (ALA), fiber, folate and zinc are all there. Vitamins K, C, B6 and A add to the list. It also has a good amount of iron, calcium, lutein and zeaxanthin. Together they help the nervous system, the brain, eyesight, defenses, clotting and bone strength.

Start with a whole stalk

The slim, long stalk fits well in a baby's palm. Cook it until soft first. Roasting, sautéing and steaming are common methods. For a baby, steaming or a soft sauté suits best. Trim it shorter if it goes floppy once cooked.

About nitrates

Vegetables such as broccolini, beets, carrots, lettuce, spinach and squash contain natural nitrates. Too much can affect oxygen in the blood. Babies who feed themselves rarely eat large amounts of solids. Nitrates in vegetables are mostly not a concern. In a balanced diet, the benefit of these vegetables outweighs the unlikely risk of eating too much.

Broccolini that is raw or undercooked is tough to chew, and that adds to the choking risk. Cook the stalk until soft. Halving a round stalk lengthwise lowers the risk. Stay with your baby during meals.

Broccolini rarely causes allergy. Reactions to its close cousin, broccoli, have been reported. Sensitivity to other cruciferous vegetables, for example mustard greens and broccoli, may mean a reaction to broccolini. Those sensitive to mugwort pollen can develop oral allergy syndrome. The signs are a short spell of an itchy, tingly or burning mouth, rarely anything dangerous. Cooking may reduce or remove the reaction.

Start with a small amount the first time.