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Kiwi: Delicious Source Of Vitamin C

Kiwis are one of the most popular fruits. No wonder, because they are extremely tasty, healthy, and low in calories. The brown hairy fruit is packed with healthy ingredients like Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and valuable vitamin K.

Kiwis – from China to New Zealand

The kiwi originally comes from China and only arrived in New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century, where it has been the national fruit ever since. Kiwis are now not only grown in China and New Zealand but also in Europe.

Italy, for example, is the world’s second-largest producer of kiwis, but the berries are also cultivated in France and Greece.

In the meantime, research has also discovered kiwis, and more and more studies are proving their positive effects on human health.

Golden and green kiwis

There are now two different varieties of kiwi on the market: the green kiwi, mostly of the “Hayward” variety, and the golden kiwi of the “Hort16A” variety, better known under the brand name “Zespri Gold”.

Both have similar ingredients and effects, even if the two fruits differ slightly in taste. The golden kiwi tastes a little milder and sweeter than the green kiwi.

The nutrients of the kiwi

Like fruit in general, the kiwi contains a lot of water and hardly any fat. The sugar content is medium. Our nutrient table shows you all the values ​​​​of 100 g of fresh kiwis in detail:

  • 80.5 grams of water
  • 0.6 grams of fat
  • 1 g protein
  • 10.8 g carbohydrates (of which 10.5 g sugars: 4.7 g glucose and 4.4 g fructose)
  • 3.9 grams of dietary fiber

The calorie content of the kiwi

Kiwis are the perfect fruit for a sweet craving between meals: Not only do they taste delicious and are extremely healthy, but they are also very low in calories. 100 g of kiwis contain only 61 kcal. While there are fruits that have a lower calorie content – for example, 32 kcal for the same amount of strawberries – counting calories really doesn’t make sense here.

The glycemic load of kiwifruit

The glycemic index (GI) of kiwis is 50 – values ​​up to 55 are considered low. The GI indicates how carbohydrate-containing food affects blood sugar levels. The higher the GI, the more the blood sugar level rises after eating. The disadvantage is that the GI always refers to 100 g of carbohydrates in the respective food, no matter how high the carbohydrate content per 100 g of food is.

Therefore, it is better to pay attention to the glycemic load (GL). Because this refers to the number of carbohydrates contained per serving. 100 grams of fresh kiwis have a very low GL of 5 (values ​​up to 10 are considered low). Foods with a low value offer the great advantage that they provide you with long-term energy without causing cravings.

Kiwi – the vitamins

In terms of vitamin content, the kiwi can offer you a lot. The high vitamin C content is particularly noteworthy. If you eat just one kiwi, you can cover almost 100 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement. Below you will find the vitamins of the kiwi.

The kiwi contains these minerals

In terms of mineral content, the kiwi does not perform as well as for vitamins, but it can still help to meet daily needs.

Kiwis are packed with vitamin C

Anyone who has ever eaten a kiwi knows that it tastes fruity and sweet, but also sour at the same time. The berry owes this sour and fresh taste to the large amounts of vitamin C found in its pulp. 1.5 kiwis already cover the officially stated daily requirement of vitamin C for an adult.

Vitamin C, on the other hand, is a true super vitamin: it has an immune-boosting, detoxifying, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antitumor, and much more effective.

Especially in stressful situations, it is important to ensure an adequate supply of vitamin C. Research has shown that people with higher levels of vitamin C in their blood cope better with stress and generally show fewer signs of negative stress, such as high blood pressure or high levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), than people with lower levels of vitamin C. Reflect.

Kiwis improve iron absorption

Not only are kiwis themselves full of healthy vitamins and minerals, but they also help to better utilize and absorb minerals from food.

A study from 2011 by Massey University in New Zealand was able to show that just consuming two kiwis in combination with iron-rich muesli significantly increased the iron level in the blood of women with low levels within 16 weeks compared to the control group. The control group was a group of women who also received iron-enriched muesli but ate a banana instead of two kiwis.

The researchers attributed the better iron supply in the kiwifruit group to the high vitamin C and carotenoid content of the kiwifruit. Because these substances increase the absorption of iron from the intestine.

Further studies, both in cell experiments and on humans, show that high kiwi consumption – here in particular the consumption of the golden kiwi – can not only improve the absorption of iron but also of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Kiwis are rich in antioxidants

Kiwis are also rich in antioxidants, which can protect against oxidative cell damage and associated diseases such as cancer, dementia, or stroke. But we not only need antioxidants for our health but also to preserve our youthfulness longer. Because antioxidants are ideal anti-aging helpers.

In 2011, researchers from Teikyo University in Tokyo, Japan, compared the antioxidant power of kiwifruit to that of grapefruit and oranges, which are also rich in vitamin C. They found that the antioxidant power of kiwis was vastly superior to citrus fruits, with the golden kiwi being even more antioxidant than its green cousin.

Researchers noted that kiwi fruit can prevent the onset and progression of diseases that result from oxidative stress.

Kiwi – the secondary plant substances

But kiwis have even more to offer for our health. For example, they are also rich in various secondary plant substances.

For a long time, it was thought that secondary plant substances did not bring any health benefits to humans. In the meantime, however, we know that these secondary plant substances are very important for health since they e.g. antibacterial, antioxidant, antiviral, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, and ultimately also antitumor, i.e. anticancer.

Lutein and zeaxanthin protect the eyes

Two of the kiwi-typical secondary plant substances are, for example, lutein and zeaxanthin, two substances from the group of carotenoids. Lutein and zeaxanthin represent about 54 percent of the carotenoids in kiwis. Kiwis are only surpassed by egg yolk and corn and are therefore among the absolute frontrunners.

Lutein and zeaxanthin both accumulate in the macula of the eye, protecting it from damage caused by UV or screen radiation. Other health benefits of the two carotenoids include protection from the following ailments and threats:

  • night blindness
  • macular degeneration
  • Blue light (screen, TV)
  • poor eyesight in general
  • cataract (cataract)
  • dry eyes
  • premature aging
  • vascular diseases

Caffeic acid protects against cancer

Other secondary plant substances that are found in abundance in the kiwi are phenolic acids and above all caffeic acid. As the name suggests, caffeic acid is mainly found in coffee. A cup of coffee contains between 25 and 75 mg of caffeic acid. Kiwis can easily keep up here: They contain 100 mg of caffeic acid per 100 grams – and that without any roasting agents and also without stimulating caffeine.

According to scientific research, caffeic acid has a clear anti-tumor effect on various cancer cells, such as stomach cancer, colon cancer, fibrosarcoma, uterine cancer, and prostate cancer.

Even if this effect has so far only been proven in cell and animal experiments, if you have cancer, you should definitely include fruits rich in phenolic acids, such as kiwis, in your diet.

Of course, there are other foods that can help with cancer, such as blueberries and cruciferous plants. And since food never has just one effect, it is not surprising that both blueberries and kiwis also have an extremely positive effect on the cardiovascular system.

Kiwis for the heart

According to studies, as part of a healthy and balanced diet, kiwis can increase the good HDL cholesterol and, in turn, lower the triglyceride values ​​(blood fats) and high blood pressure and improve blood clotting. Each one of these effects now ensures a healthy and strong heart as well as strong and elastic blood vessels.

Kiwi fruit for insomnia

Even if you have insomnia, kiwis can help you sleep better. So instead of resorting to sleeping pills with many side effects, you could simply eat two kiwis an hour before bedtime. Because that’s exactly what the subjects did in a study by Taipei Medical University. Twenty-four men and women aged 20 to 55 consumed two kiwis every night before bed for four weeks.

After the four-week study period, total sleep duration and sleep efficiency increased significantly, while sleep time onset and sleep disruption time decreased significantly.

Of course, if you have trouble sleeping, you should generally eat a healthy and balanced diet, avoid too much coffee and limit cell phone and computer use before going to bed, since the blue light from the screens reduces the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

Kiwis keep our guts healthy

In addition, kiwis provide intestinal-friendly so-called prebiotic substances that serve as food for the intestinal flora. The better the intestinal flora is supplied with prebiotics, the better it can protect the intestine and prevent harmful bacteria from settling.

Harmful intestinal bacteria can damage the intestines and, in the worst case, lead to the leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut literally means “holes in the gut”, although the entire gut is not leaky here, only parts. This means that incompletely digested food particles get into the blood and can trigger a variety of negative reactions such as inflammation, allergies, and autoimmune diseases.

In order for the good gut bacteria to keep the bad bacteria in check, they need good food: prebiotics. The prebiotics includes, for example, the inulin in Jerusalem artichoke, black salsify, and chicory. But the dietary fiber pectin is also considered to be prebiotically effective, as it promotes the development of healthy intestinal flora.

Kiwis are now among those foods that have a particularly high amount of pectin and, according to human studies, have a positive effect on the intestinal flora and increase the number of good lactic acid bacteria. Studies also suggest that regular consumption of kiwifruit can alleviate leaky gut syndrome. And if the gut is healthy, that alone reduces the risk of cancer, as we have explained here.

Kiwis for constipation

Constipation is one of the most common diseases in industrialized countries. In Germany alone, around 15 million adults are affected. But the kiwi can also help here.

A Chinese study of 33 constipated and 20 non-constipated patients showed that eating two kiwis a day massively improved constipation symptoms. However, there was no change in stool frequency or stool consistency in the healthy volunteers. So kiwis do not cause diarrhea in people with healthy digestion.

Another study examined the effects of kiwifruit on patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Again, the subjects ate two green kiwis per day for a period of four weeks. After four weeks, the frequency of stools had increased and the duration of the intestinal transit – i.e. the time that the food spends in the intestine – had decreased.

In addition to other home remedies for constipation, such as prunes or dried fruit, kiwis can contribute to normal intestinal activity and thus relieve millions of people of the unpleasant symptoms of constipation.

Kiwis for a strong immune system

Kiwis are also extremely beneficial for the immune system. For example, New Zealand researchers have studied the effect of kiwis on the duration and severity of respiratory diseases.

Would colds, coughs and the like disappear faster if you ate four kiwis a day?

32 elderly patients over the age of 65 took part in this study and were divided into two groups: one group ate four kiwis a day for four weeks, while the control group ate two bananas a day.

Compared to the banana group, the frequency of respiratory diseases in the kiwi group was unchanged, but the duration and severity of colds were reduced.

A similar study was also conducted with children. A group of elementary school children was randomly assigned to either a group that ate two kiwis a day or a group that ate bananas a day instead.

It has now been shown that the children from the Kiwi group almost halved their risk of catching a cold or the flu!

Your immune system will thank you for making kiwis a part of your daily diet from now on, especially during the cold months when the risk of catching a cold or flu is generally higher.

Kiwis and the hormone balance

Hormone balance can also benefit from increased kiwifruit consumption. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on Australian women going through menopause, it was shown that kiwis – albeit in the form of a kiwi extract – were able to harmonize the women’s hormone status.

The researchers attributed the hormone-balancing effect to the vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and phytochemicals that are abundant in kiwis on the one hand, and to the fact that kiwis contain small amounts of phytoestrogens on the other.

Phytoestrogens are secondary plant substances that are similar to the female sex hormone estrogen and occupy the estrogen receptors. Since phytoestrogens are weaker than the “real” estrogens, estrogen dominance can be reduced in this way. In the case of an estrogen deficiency, on the other hand, the phytoestrogens can to a certain extent replace the missing hormones. According to science, phytoestrogens can in some cases even be used in various types of cancer, e.g. B. Prevent breast cancer.

If you are also plagued by unpleasant menopausal symptoms and like kiwis at the same time, you could – together with other natural hormone-regulating measures – also increase your kiwi consumption.

Kiwis as a natural mood enhancer

But actually, just because of the mood-enhancing effect of kiwifruit, it is worth eating the delicious fruit more often, as researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand had shown.

35 men were divided into two groups and had to eat either half or two golden kiwis a day for four weeks. The people who ate two kiwis a day reported significantly reduced mood swings, fatigue, depression, and increased vitality.

Of course, if you are feeling depressed, you should also ensure a balanced and healthy diet and consider other naturopathic measures such as a specific breathing method or aromatherapy.

Kiwis in the kitchen

Kiwis are often eaten raw, which is very beneficial for the heat-sensitive components of the kiwi, such as vitamin C.

For example, kiwis can be used perfectly in plant-based yogurt, quark, or muesli. They are also welcome in fruit salads and they cut a good and, above all, delicious figure in smoothies. A delicious kiwi dessert is the following cream:

Banana Nut Cream with Kiwis

Ingredients for 1 serving:

  • 2 ripe kiwis
  • 1½ tbsp almond butter
  • 5 tbsp water
  • ½ banana
  • ½ tsp psyllium husk powder
  • juice ½ lemon
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • flaked almonds

Preparation:

  • Peel and dice the kiwis. Cut the banana into small pieces and mix with half the kiwi pieces and the remaining ingredients in the blender to a creamy mass. Leave the cream to rest for about 5 minutes, as it will thicken a little over time due to the psyllium husks. Now arrange half of the cream in a glass, and spread half of the remaining kiwis on top. Then layer the remaining cream in the glass and arrange the kiwis decoratively on top. Decorate with flaked almonds if you like.
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Written by Micah Stanley

Hi, I'm Micah. I am a creative Expert Freelance Dietitian Nutritionist with years of experience in counseling, recipe creation, nutrition, and content writing, product development.

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