What Are The Health Benefits of Kiwi Fruit?

Kiwi fruit is rich in nutrients

You may be wondering if kiwi fruit is good for you? Let’s explore the many health benefits of kiwi fruit.

Kiwi fruit is a tangy, mildly sweet berry with a creamy texture and a fuzzy peel. Inside lays black seeds encased in a white center. It resembles an egg in shape and size, but slightly bigger. This delectable fruit is offered all year long in most health food stores and grocery stores. It can be added to smoothies, served on salads or eaten alone as a snack. One of the health benefits of kiwi fruit is that it is chocked full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

Kiwi Fruit Health Benefits

Let’s see some of the health benefits of kiwi fruit:

– Strengthens Your Immune System

Vitamins – Kiwi fruit is rich in vitamin C, a water-soluble antioxidant that strengthens your immune system and protects your body from damaging free-radicals like viruses, diseases, toxins, pollutants and infections. Vitamin C also aids in tissue, blood vessel, cartilage, tendon, bone and organ repair. Kiwi fruit is also a good source of vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin that supports blood clot formation and aids in vitamin D absorption. In addition, kiwi fruit contains a healthy amount of zinc, an essential mineral that enriches the hair, skin, teeth and nails and boost testosterone levels.

Fiber – Another one of the health benefits of kiwi fruit is that it is filled with fiber. Fiber not only makes your feel full faster, it also aids in digestion and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Your (LDL) cholesterol is considered your “bad cholesterol.” Fiber also lowers your risk of colon cancer and regulates your blood glucose levels (blood sugar), which helps improve diabetes.

Potassium – One of the valuable health benefits of kiwi fruit is that is rich in potassium, an essential mineral that regulates the amount of minerals and fluids in your body. It also helps control your blood pressure. Low levels of potassium can increase your risk of heart palpitations, strokes, heart attacks and muscle cramps. A serving of kiwi fruit can provide you with more potassium than a small banana, which is ideal if you want to restore your electrolytes and maintain your energy throughout the day.

– Kiwi Fruit Aids in Weight Loss

Believe it or not, kiwi fruit can help you shed those excess pounds. Kiwi fruit is low-calorie and high in nutrients, which makes it a good substitute for high-calorie food items like cookies, ice cream and cakes. Another one of the health benefits of kiwi fruit is that it is rich in fiber, which also contributes to weight loss. Moreover, fiber regulates your blood glucose levels, which reduces your craving for sugary treats, increases your energy and lowers your risk of insulin release, a mechanism that occurs when you experience a spike in your blood glucose levels. High blood glucose levels can lead to fat accumulation.

– Enhances Your Vision

Another one of the health benefits of kiwi fruit is that enhances your vision. This fruit contains a healthy amount of lutein, a pigment normally found in plants. Lutein helps protect you from age-related vision disorders and/or blindness. In fact, snacking on three pieces of kiwi fruit a day can actually reduce your risk of vision loss.

– Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease, Asthma, Wheezing, Coughing and Birth Defects

Kiwi fruit also lowers your risk of heart disease, asthma, wheezing, coughing and birth defects. This edible fruit lowers your risk of heart disease by reducing the amount of triglycerides in your bloodstream. Kiwi fruit can also improve respiratory ailments like asthma, wheezing and coughing by reducing inflammation and congestion in your respiratory tract. Another one of the health benefits of kiwi fruit is that it supports fetal growth and development. In fact, this fruit is especially good for pregnant women because it contain a large amount of folate, a water-soluble B vitamin that supports fetal neural tube and cognitive development.

– Supports Digestion

Another one of the health benefits of kiwi fruit is that it supports healthy digestion. In fact, this fuzzy fruit is considered a probiotic or a nutrient that balances the amount of healthy and “non-healthy” bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. When there is too much “non-healthy: bacteria in your system it causes gastrointestinal distress (bloating, constipation, diarrhea) and yeast infections. Moreover, kiwi fruit’s high fiber aids in digestion by helping push food through your intestines and out of your body. The fiber softens your stools so that they can easily move throughout your system.

– Improves Lung Function

Another one of the important health benefits of kiwi fruit is that it improves lung function. Kiwi fruit contains a higher level of vitamin C than a medium-size orange, which is especially beneficial if you have breathing problems. Vitamin C also reduces respiratory symptoms like shortness of breath, a runny nose, coughing, asthma and/or wheezing by reducing swelling in your respiratory tract.

– Supports Bone and Tissue Development

Kiwi fruit health benefits include bone and tissue development. The high levels of vitamins in this fruit boost immune system function so that it can successfully fight-off harmful free radicals like bone and tissue infections, diseases and viruses. Another health benefit of kiwi fruit is that it is especially good for people who have osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis because it reduces bone and tissue inflammation, strengthens weak and fragile bones and increase mobility.

– Encourages Sound Sleep

One of the health benefits of kiwi fruit is that it encourages sound sleep. Kiwi fruit is a good source of serotonin, a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) that improves your sleep quality and total sleep time. It also regulates your sleep-wake time and lowers your risk of sleep disturbances. Eating a kiwi before bed or resting can make you feel refreshed upon waking.

– Rejuvenates Skin

Kiwi fruit, also known as the anti-aging fruit, actually rejuvenates your skin. One of the health benefits of kiwi fruit is that it helps your body produce collagen, a fibrous protein that promotes healthy and smooth skin. It consists of a variety of vitamins and nutrients that can repair damaged skin, heal cuts and bruises, reduce wrinkles, protect your internal organs from harmful ultra-violet light, lower your risk of skin cancer, accelerate the recovery process and improve your overall appearance.

References:
Institute of Medicine. (2013). Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino Acids. Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2002/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Energy-Carbohydrate-Fiber-Fat-Fatty-Acids-Cholesterol-Protein-and-Amino-Acids.aspx
University of Maryland Medical Center. (2013). Vitamin C. Retrieved from http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/vitamin-c-ascorbic-acid