According to a dietitian, eating kiwi every day has incredible benefits.
Compared to more popular fruits like berries, apples, and bananas, kiwis are unlikely to be on your weekly shopping list. However, when you consider the numerous health benefits that eating a kiwi may provide, you might want to reconsider adding them to your shopping cart.
“Kiwis are extremely low in calories, making them an ideal snack or dessert,” Lisa Young, PhD, RDN, notes.
Kiwis can help your body’s health goals in a variety of ways, in addition to being a sweet and low-calorie pleasure. Here’s why you should put a couple kiwis in your shopping cart the next time you go to the supermarket, and here are 5 Best Fruits to Help Lower Cholesterol for more healthy fruit ideas.
Antioxidants are abundant in Kiwis.
Antioxidants are critical in combating free radicals in the body, which are produced as a result of oxidative stress and raise your chance of acquiring chronic diseases. Antioxidant-rich foods are crucial for safeguarding and maintaining your body’s health.
Vitamin C, choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin, all antioxidants known to protect against free radicals, are abundant in kiwis.
“This delicious green fruit, which is high in antioxidants and vitamins, can help with heart health, digestion, immune health, and even sleep,” explains Young.
Vitamin C is abundant in kiwis.
Kiwis are particularly high in vitamin C, which has a staggering 64 mcg per little fruit. Two kiwis, sliced, can provide you with more than enough vitamin C for the day.
“Kiwifruit has more than 200 percent of the recommended value for the antioxidant vitamin C, making it an ideal food for immunological health,” Young explains.
Vitamin C is crucial not just for its antioxidant effects, but also for enhancing your immunity and skin.
Fiber is abundant in kiwis.
Along with being strong in antioxidants, kiwis are also high in fibre, which is beneficial not just for digestive health but also for liver protection, blood sugar and blood pressure control, and even weight management.
“The fibre in kiwi makes it a fantastic supplement for heart health, digestive health, and constipation prevention,” Young says.
A single kiwi includes 2 grammes of fibre, which is about 6% to 8% of the daily fibre requirement. The American Heart Association recommends that you consume at least 25 to 30 grammes of fibre per day to maintain excellent health and lower your risk of disease.
Kiwis have a surprising amount of folate in them.
Kiwis are also recognised for their high folate level, according to Young. Folate is a B vitamin that is necessary for protein digestion and the formation of red blood cells during growth, which is especially crucial for pregnant women (they need more folate than normal at 600 micrograms). One kiwi has 17 micrograms of folate, so cut up a few to get closer to your daily requirement.
To get your folate, fibre, and vitamin C for the day, slice up some kiwi and sprinkle it on yoghurt, or use it in a fruit salad or as a simple side with a sandwich.