One of those sweeter fruits out there that might not look like much on the outside because of its brown and fuzzy shell, the inside of a kiwi is a very bright green and tastes delicious. Although we refer to the kiwi that way, the full name is actually kiwifruit, though in some parts of the world it’s known as the Chinese gooseberry. We also think of New Zealand as the place where kiwis come from, but they are also grown in other parts of the world like France, Chile and Italy.
Kiwis not only taste great, but they also come with a lot of nutritional benefits. The vitamin content alone should be enough to get you to eat more kiwis, though you might not know what that content is. Let’s take a look at some of those nutritional values, and what kinds of benefits you can get from eating more kiwis.
Nutrition of Kiwi
Kiwis perhaps do not get the love that they deserve in terms of being one of the more nutritious fruits out there. Each serving of one cup contains only around 100 calories, but many of the important nutrients that your body needs. For starters, you get a little bit of protein while also getting 21 percent of your daily fiber recommendation. In terms of vitamins, you are getting a massive vitamin C boost with 273 percent of recommended value. Kiwis are also a big source of vitamin K (89 percent), while also adding vitamin A, vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid in small doses.
You are also getting plenty of the important minerals from each serving of kiwi, with potassium (16 percent value) and copper (12 percent) being the most abundant. Kiwis are also a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and manganese. Finding any food, even in the fruit department, with that kind of nutritious variety does not come easy.
Digestive Health
Many fruits and vegetables can really enhance your digestive health, and the kiwi is no exception. Kiwis contain actinidin, which is able to dissolve protein to help your digestive system work more efficiently. This can alleviate a lot of problems that include constipation, indigestion and many more. For those that experience digestive problems from eating a lot of meat, kiwis will certainly help.
Another big part of kiwis that helps your digestive health is the amount of fiber in each serving. Just increasing your dietary fiber alone reduces a lot of problems to help with the actinidin. Eating kiwis with your regular meal can help digestion made much easier, even in foods that are hard to digest normally.
Immune Boost
Getting nearly 300 percent of your daily recommendation of fiber in each serving of kiwis, you are going to immediately boost your immune system. That will allow your body to fight off germs that can make you sick. Even if you do come down with something like the common cold, eating kiwis can allow your body to get through the illness faster.
Kiwis are also high in antioxidants, which helps you to fight off free radicals. These free radicals are the source of a lot of chronic illnesses such as cancer. Antioxidants aren’t really thought about by the average person, but getting more of them in your diet leads to the avoidance of a lot of problems down the road.
Clear Skin
Some of us are worried about how we look above all else, and that’s fine. Kiwis can be used both internally and externally to help you achieve that goal. Eating kiwis helps your body to maintain a younger look through moisturizing your skin because of the vitamin content. You can also take a couple of kiwi slices and place them over your eyes. The alkaline properties of kiwis help to clear your skin while keeping it moisturized, giving you a more youthful look almost overnight. Meanwhile, vitamin E helps your skin from experiencing signs of aging.
Weight Loss
If you are looking for a food that is going to help you lose weight faster, then you should obviously be leaning toward more fruits and vegetables. Kiwis are a great fruit to eat on a diet, as just one cup is usually plenty to eat as a snack, and it will only come in at around 100 calories. It will only take about eight to 10 minutes on a treadmill to burn off the calories from eating a serving of kiwis.
Going back to the digestive health aspect of kiwis, a more efficient digestive system is going to help your body burn more calories. You will be clearing out the digestive tract from toxins, allowing you to have more natural energy. Kiwis are the perfect food to eat before and after a workout, and are very low on the glycemic index, further helping your weight loss.
Heart Healthy
Watching your cholesterol and blood pressure is absolutely vital to heart health and avoiding heart disease and stroke. Studies have shown that eating two or three kiwis on a daily basis will help you out in both of those departments. The studies concluded that kiwis help to lower your blood pressure, lower triglycerides and raise the HDL (good) cholesterol in your blood.
These studies also found that kiwis can act as a sort of blood thinner, allowing you to avoid strokes. Once again, the fiber comes into play as a healthy fiber level helps your overall heart health. The vitamins and potassium certainly won’t hurt, either.
Summing it Up
There can be some minor problems that you get from eating kiwis, but those problems are considered to be very rare. For starters, eating too many kiwis can cause some rashes, and even some odd tingling sensations in your mouth. Eating a high amount of kiwis on a daily basis can also cause skin issues, and might even lead to pancreas problems because of the overabundance of vitamins.
Again, these problems can only come if you have some type of allergy to kiwis or eat too many on a regular basis. You would not only have to spend a lot of time eating kiwis, but it would also be a lot of money. Don’t expect to see any of these problems, and feel free to add kiwis to your regular diet. There are a lot of great benefits that you can get from eating them, and they are one of the tastiest members of the fruit family.