The fruit named after a little bird holds many surprises as a compact combination of beneficial nutrients.
Moving from China to New Zealand before landing in United States to be crowned as the most beneficial fruit around, the humble kiwi has travelled a long distance over period of a century. The ovate fruit with a brown fur coat appeals to everyone with its designer emerald green and juicy insides. Its taste evoking a mix of strawberry and banana has been turning addictive for the health conscious populace.
Latest research studies have given kiwi fruit its well-deserved place in the annals of great fruits of the world. And it’s not surprising. When compared with equal amount of other fruits, kiwi scores over apple in dietary fiber, gets better of orange in vitamin C and gives equal fight to banana in amounts of protein, potassium and iron. Besides this all round performance, it also contains copper, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.
High in fiber
The high dietary fiber content helps deal with several diseases including high cholesterol levels, diabetes, colon cancer besides protection against heart disease. According to a research done in Norway, having a kiwi fruit daily can reduce the amount of fat which blocks arteries and causes heart attack. Another research study found that those who eat 2 to 3 kiwifruit per day for 28 days reduce their risk of blood clot formation by 18 per cent as compared to those not having any kiwi fruit at all.
Other health benefits of kiwi fruit include protection against cataract and macular degeneration, the major causes of vision loss in old age. According to a study published in the Archives of Opthamology, eating three or more servings of fruit per day lower your risk of macular degeneration by 36 per cent. Since kiwi provides a great combination of beneficial nutrients in a compact size, it can help meet the necessary nutritional requirement without the need to consume different and bigger fruits.
Most of kiwi fruit is made up of water and takes good care of your waist size with only 61 calories in 100 gram of fruit. The antioxidant benefit of the fruit extends protection to the DNA of human body against cancer-causing mutations.
Helps in chronic conditions
Eating kiwi fruit regularly also helps people with asthma deal with the condition in a much better way. Studies done in Italy on 6-7 year old children found that the fruit keeps respiratory tract in sound health. Children who were fed 5-7 portions a week of citrus and kiwi fruits experienced 44 per cent lower risk of wheezing as compared to those who ate the fruit less than once a week. There was a 32 per cent reduction in shortness of breath, 27 per cent decline in night time cough, 41 per cent fall in severe wheezing, 25 per cent decrease in chronic cough and 28 per cent reduction in incidents of runny nose.
The high amounts of vitamin C and E help protect the body against free radicals hence offering protection against several diseases. Eating 70 gram of kiwi fruit daily can meet your daily vitamin C requirement which is beneficial in reducing the pain in chronic conditions including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis besides ensuring prevention against colon cancer, atherosclerosis, and diabetic heart disease. Vitamin C is also known to strengthen the immune system thus preventing infectious diseases.
You can easily add kiwi to your diet by throwing in some slices with your breakfast cereal, yogurt and even salads. Not only the dishes look glamorous with this exotic addition, the health benefits of kiwi fruit also reach you without much ado.