KIWI – The wonder fruit you must adopt in your regular diet!

These days, KIWI fruit has attracted many health lovers due to its unique nutritive and health related medicinal values. Many of us know that kiwi fruit is highly recommended by doctors as well as our well wishers, when platelet count goes down due to dengue and in such cases, a high dose of antioxidants is highly required to the body.  The intake of antioxidants breaks the cycle of falling platelet counts. 

However, we are not aware that apart from this quality, Kiwi fruit is also rich in potassium and vitamin C. If we look at Kiwi fruit, we do not fall in love at first sight due to its outer look which is rough and boring but due to its qualities, we should prefer Kiwi fruit in our regular diet. 

Kiwi is also known as Chinese Gooseberry and originated from China. Not only in China, this fruit is widely grown in other countries like New Zealand, Chile, Greece, Italy, France, Turkey etc. whereas India does not produce Kiwi fruit. It is grown as a shrub which may climb up to 9 meter high. Kiwi fruit, the scientific name of which is Actinidia deliciosa if grown commercially in New Zealand and California. This fruit has acidic taste and raw kiwis are high in vitamin C and vitamin K. Kiwi fruit are usually grown under moderate to high rainfall climates and about 150 cm of rainfall is required for the good growth of kiwi fruit. On high altitudes, the kiwi fruits are grown and if the temperature goes beyond 35 degree celsius, it has a tendency to burn. 

Kiwi fruit is extremely nutritious and it has an excellent source of Vitamin C along with carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin E, vitamin K and many more. The glycemic index of kiwi fruit is low and hence it is very beneficial for the people suffering from diabetes mellitus.

Nutrition value of 100 gm. Of kiwi is given hereunder:

SOME HEALTH BENEFITS OF KIWI FRUIT

The glycemic index of kiwi fruit is low and it is beneficial for people suffering from diabetes. It has seen that wound healing is delayed in persons having prolonged diabetes and kiwi fruit helps in healing of diabetes foot ulcers and also prevents from wound infections. It is safe for persons having diabetes.

To keep LDL and total cholesterol levels under control, the use of kiwi fruit is useful. The level of HDL also increases significantly. So people suffering from cholesterol issues should add kiwi fruits in their diet.

It fruit is highly beneficial to improve your immune system (See separate article on immunity here) due to availability of Vitamin C in it. There is also presence of various polyphenols in it, which are helpful in managing blood pressure levels and to keep blood vessels healthy and flexible. Polyphenols are also helpful in reducing the blood sugar level.

Kiwi fruit is helpful in insomnia, a common problem due to which people are unable to sleep. So if kiwi fruit is consumed one hour before going to bed, it will reduce sleep disturbances and will improve the quality of sleep.

Due to the abundance of vitamin C in kiwi fruit, it is considered as a powerful antioxidant and can help the body to fight oxidative stress effectively. Oxidation is the loss of electrons during a reaction by a molecule, atom or ion.

When one is facing a problem of high blood pressure, he is at increased risk of other diseases and strokes also. Therefore to maintain the normal blood pressure, use of kiwi fruit is recommended.

Since kiwi fruit benefits the cardiovascular system, hence the use of kiwi fruit can reduce the risk of cardiovascular as well as coronary heart problems. Kiwi fruit balances blood pressure, sugar as well as cholesterol.

Kiwi fruit contains more vitamin C than any other fruit. Kiwi fruit has nearly double the amount of vitamin C as compared with oranges and this nutrient helps in maintaining the immunity better as well as helpful in tissue repair, their growth and development.

For youthful skin, fewer colds, less arthritis one should take kiwi fruit in one’s regular diet as the kiwi fruit is in the most alkaline category and it has a rich supply of minerals in it.

While we are focusing on the benefits of kiwi fruit, there are some precautions also which should be considered as well.

• Some people might be allergic to kiwi fruit and they should not consume it.
• Since kiwi fruit is rich in dietary fibre hence if the kiwi fruit are taken on a daily basis, it may cause increase in fibre intake and may cause diarrhoea or loose stools. Hence the consumption of kiwi fruit should be limited.

Due to its rich nutrients value as well as having several minerals, it is recommended that healthy individuals should add kiwi fruit in their diet. The persons having diabetes, or cancer patients should also add the kiwi fruit in their diet however before starting the good practices, an advice from your doctor or medical consultant is advisable. 

Keep healthy and stay blessed.