If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, instead of going for typical fresh and juicy fruits like apples and bananas, try adding kiwis to your list this time. Kiwi tastes sweet since it has natural sugar in it, which is healthy. Kiwi is a small fruit, filled with great flavor, and it has a lot of nutrients, which makes kiwi worth discovering.
Kiwi has an excellent green color with velvety brown skin and has tiny black seeds inside. Chinese gooseberry, kiwifruit, and Yang Tao are some of the names of kiwi, which are used all around the world. Kiwi had a medicinal purpose in ancient times.
Types of Kiwi
Kiwis belong to the family Actinidiaceae. Kiwis have around 50 different types. Each type differs from one another based on characteristics like shape, color, and taste. Kiwis are categorized into two varieties; the first one is Feminine varieties which include Kramer, Greensil, Bruno, Monty, Abbott, and more. The second one is pollinating varieties, which include Matua, Tomuri, and M-3. Pollinating varieties is also called masculine types.
1. Hardy kiwis
Hardy kiwis are one of the types of kiwis that can resist cold temperatures. They are small, have a size of a grape and smooth skin. This type of kiwi is hairless and contains a lot of flavors. They are also known as grape kiwi or baby kiwi in the market. Hardy kiwis used to be available and cultivated in gardens only, but now they are commercially available.
2. Gold kiwis
Gold kiwis have a pointed cap at one end and are bronze colored. Moreover, they have flesh of mustard color from inside. Fully ripened gold kiwis have a custard-like texture.
3. Hayward kiwis
Hayward kiwi is the most common variety of kiwis. They have green flesh, which is covered with brown fuzz. Today, Hayward kiwis are contemplated as the best cultivar. Due to its popularity and demand, Hayward is exported all around the globe. Hayward kiwi’s amazing flavor and high vitamin concentration are some of the reasons why they are so popular. You can store Hayward kiwis for up to six months.
4. Abbott kiwis
Abbott kiwis are similar to Allison kiwis. They have brownish skin covered with long, soft hair, and light green flesh. Abbott kiwis are mostly exported to the United Kingdom, and they also taste pretty good.
5. Allison kiwis
Allison kiwis have brownish skin, tightly packed with hair. The flesh of Allison kiwis is light green, and like all the other kiwis, it has a sweet and tangy flavor. On the level of popularity, Allison kiwis are still less famous than Hayward Kiwis.
6. Bruno kiwis
Bruno kiwis have dark brown colored skin and tiny spiky hair. The flesh of Bruno kiwi is light green and has an excellent flavor. Moreover, this type of kiwis doesn’t have the keeping Bruno kiwis are rarely exported to other countries.
7. Kolomikta kiwis
Arctic kiwifruit is another name for Kolomikta kiwis. It is another type of kiwi that can resist cold temperatures. When compared to Hayward kiwis, Kolomiktas are smaller and have ten times more vitamin C content.
Benefits of Kiwi Fruit
Kiwi has excellent nutritional value and contains many essential minerals like Potassium, magnesium, calcium, and Folate. Moreover, kiwi contains proteins, antioxidants, and Vitamins like Vitamin C, E, and K. Kiwi has extraordinarily high vitamin C content. Vitamin C is very beneficial for wound healing and healthy body cells.
Moreover, it has high carbohydrate content, which is mainly sugar. However, the sugar level present in kiwi is not harmful to the body since it is all-natural. Kiwi is low in calorie and protein and high fiber content. They all together give your body a significant boost.
Let’s discuss some important benefits of kiwi.
- Useful in Treating Asthma
Vitamin C and vitamin K in kiwis enhance lung health that can help in treating asthma. Both together are beneficial when it comes to problems related to respiration. Vitamin C not only boosts the immune system, but it also prevents respiratory tract infections. So the asthma patient should include this miraculous fruit in their diet, at least twice per week.
- Supports Digestion
Kiwi has high fiber content, and fiber enhances and improves digestion. An enzyme called actinidin breaks down protein. Since kiwi has a proteolytic enzyme (Actinidin), it helps the metabolism of many proteins.
- Improves Immune System
Kiwi has high nutritional content and is rich in vitamin C, which is considered best for improving your immune system. Taking one cup of kiwi juice can provide the required daily intake of vitamin C. The healthier the immune system, the better it fights and prevents many diseases.
The immune system gets weak with age, so the people above 50 should add kiwi to their diet.
- Lessens the Risk of Other Severe Health Conditions
Kiwi contains antioxidants that help the body fight against oxidative stress. Oxidative stress damages DNA, which results in many severe health conditions. DNA damage caused by oxidative stress is linked with cancer too. Kiwi can prevent you from health-related conditions if consumed daily.
- Maintains Blood Pressure
Kiwis not only improve our immunity, but it also helps in lowering blood pressure. Kiwi contains potassium and bioactive elements. Consuming three kiwis a day can lower and maintain your blood pressure better than an apple a day. Consuming kiwi in the long term can reduce the risk of conditions related to high blood pressure like heart attack and stroke.
- Minimizes Blood Clotting
Along with all the other benefits, kiwi can prevent blood clotting. According to a study, eating two to three kiwis a day can lower your risks of blood clotting, as the Kiwis reduce the fats in the blood.
- Promotes Sleep
Kiwis contain a chemical called serotonin that has a seductive effect that can promote sleep. So if you are facing difficulty in falling asleep, eat one to two kiwis an hour before going to bed. It will make you fall asleep faster and better.
- Enhances Bone Health
Kiwi contains Vitamin K and minerals like phosphorus and calcium, which enhance your bone health. Due to the high vitamin K content, kiwis prevent fractures, weakening of bones, osteoporosis, and many other bone-related conditions. Kiwi fulfills 23 to 30% required vitamin K intake.
- Eliminate Constipation
Kiwi is rich in fibers, which keep the bowel movement in check and prevents constipation. You can also take Kiwis as dietary supplements due to theirmild laxative effect on illness.
- Prevent Cancer
Free radicals damage the DNA, which leads to different types of cancers. The vitamin C in Kiwi protects the body from free radicals, which are causing factor of many other diseases too. Fibers in kiwis fight against digestive cancer. Kiwis also contain compounds like isocyanate and sulforaphane, which slows down the action of cancer-causing cells, called carcinogens.
- Enhance Heart Health
Kiwi contains antioxidants, fibers, and minerals like potassium, which improve heart health and prevent severe cardiovascular conditions. Potassium promotes the thinning of blood and helps in removing blood clots.
Moreover, High potassium and low sodium content in your diet are suitable for your heart health, as it lowers blood pressure. And people with lower blood pressure have a lower risk of having cardiovascular diseases. Kiwis can fulfill 5% of our daily required potassium intake and about 8% of adult’s daily fiber requirement.
- Aids Weight Loss
Kiwis contain a high content of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate, which improves digestion, cholesterol level, and gut health. These all add up to weight loss. As kiwis contain natural sugar, it keeps your sweet craving in check.
Moreover, kiwi has low fat and calorie content, which makes the weight loss process easy.
- Prevents Vision Loss
Kiwis contain zeaxanthin and lutein, which prevent your eyes from macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of vision loss. Eating three kiwis a day can prevent Macular degeneration.
- Glowing and Youthful Skin
Kiwi contains vitamin C in abundance, which makes it perfect for your skin. Damaged and dull skin makes you look older and tired. Kiwi contains vitamin E as well, which heals the broken skin. Vitamin E, known as skin repairer, repair the damages caused by free radicals and UV rays.
Moreover, to slow down the process of aging and get youthful skin, mash the kiwi and apply its paste on your face. The vitamin C in Kiwi helps in the production of collagen, which is essential to get firm and soft skin. Kiwis also contain an amino acid, which prevents excessive sebum production. This is what makes kiwis incredible for oily skin.
- Treating Dark Circles
If you have dark circles and want to get rid of them, all you need is kiwi extract to get rid of this problem quickly and effectively. Kiwi extract not only treats dark circles but applying it on your eye area can also prevent a number of other related issues.
- Helps During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, the mother needs a lot of nutrients for herself as well as for the fetus. Therefore, she needs to add nutritional food to her diet. Pregnant women have a lot of sugar cravings, and kiwi is the right fruit to consume during pregnancy. It is sweet, juicy, and rich with vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin C.
Kiwis don’t contain cholesterol. Eating two to three kiwis a day is perfectly ideal and safe. In case of any discomfort, consult your doctor before continuing to eat kiwi daily.
- Fights Against Acne
Due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, Kiwis are the best solution for treating your acne. It doesn’t only treat acne but also the problems related to it.
Final Words
Kiwi is exceptionally beneficial for us without a doubt, as it contains all the minerals and vitamins. However, before consuming kiwi daily, make sure to check that you are not allergic to kiwis. Kiwi is safe to eat, but few people can’t have kiwis due to its allergic reaction. The allergic symptoms include itchy throat, trouble swallowing, and vomiting. And in some cases, kiwi may slow down the clotting process.
Other than this, kiwi is a delicious fruit that improves your overall health and prevents many diseases. Consuming two to three kiwis a day is enough to get all the nutritional benefits out of them.