Kiwifruit, formerly known as “yang-tao”, is original from China, even though it is usually more related with New Zealand, where it arrived only about a century ago and eventually turned to be a real national emblem, up to the point of adopting the name of a native non-flying bird of the isle (kiwi).

It has an oval form, with thin and brownish-grey skin and a hairy surface. The pulp is green and shiny, with very tiny black seeds all around its whitish heart. Kiwifruits grow up in clusters on a climbing plant, typical of template climates, resembling grapevines. Its aroma is soft and its flavour sweet, with a slightly sour touch, what makes it a very peculiar fruit.

Vitamin C

Kiwifruits are one of the fruits with more content of vitamin C (98 mg per 100 gr of weight). In fact they are only beaten by guava and blackcurrant, but are superior, even though some people won’t believe it, to oranges or any other citrus fruits. An average piece of it (like about 75 gr), haves 74 mg of vitamin C, more or less 82% of the recommended amount for each day. As we see, its content in it is almost the double as oranges have, given that an average orange, with a weight of about 140 gr contains 80 mg. For this reason, eating a simple kiwifruit in the morning practically assures you to get the daily ration needed.

Health and beauty

Vitamin C as vitamin E have, among other properties, a great antioxidant power, capable of neutralizing the corporal damages that the free radicals could generate. Taking kiwifruits helps us to maintain younger and prevent lots of diseases, from allergies to cancer. It helps to slow down hypertension, because vitamin C intervenes along with potassium. But instead as it was believed some time ago, it is not helpful for preventing the flu: it just reduces the symptoms and accelerates recovery. Diabetics, people suffering from allergies, pregnant women or elderly people, will receive a big help from the consumption of kiwifruit.  People that eventually torn their ligaments or get a fractured bone, will also get better, due to the repairing properties of this vitamin.

Menopause

This fruit is very important for the good functioning of the eyes, because of its content in vitamin C and E: its helpful for the conservation of vision and the prevention of eye-diseases, like cataracts or night blindness.

Smokers

It is very important that smokers eat this fruit, since tobacco’s smoke destroys vitamin C. It is equally recommended for people who like to have a drink every now and then, because alcohol constitute one of the primarily oxidants.

Stress

It is proven that vitamin C helps in avoiding nervousness states. Because of that, kiwifruit can be considered as a very good element if we want to reduce the modern life stress. Along with the vitamin C that contains, and the presence of magnesium, we will feel more peacefully and face problems that may occur with more serenity. It will permit us to overcome obstacles and face our challenges, and in any case of nervousness or tension that may threaten us.

Improves blood circulation

Kiwifruit contains a large amount of vitamin E and omega 3 and omega 6. These components have properties that helps in the fluidization of the bloodstream, helping with maintaining arteries in good condition, avoiding the formation of clots or thrombus in the blood vessels. This way, taking kiwifruits will protect us against thrombosis, heart-attacks and brain-haemorrhages.

A good remedy for constipation

Kiwifruit is very rich in soluble fibre. Its ingestion can help you improve intestinal transit and prevent constipation or heal it. During breakfast, we suggest you to make a mix with yogurt and kiwifruits. The yogurt, for its richness in ferments, helps to restore intestinal bacteria. At the same time, kiwifruits completes the treatment by adding its fibres, which favours the evacuation of faeces. You shall not forget that fibre takes an important part in the treatment of cholesterol, by stopping the absorption of it by the intestine.
Reducing the levels of cholesterol in the blood can be very easy… you just have to eat kiwifruits!

Kiwifruits help you lose weight and remove liquids

Kiwifruits contain a huge amount of water and its caloric power its moderated (63 kcal per 100 gr).  This means that by eating one of them, you will be ingesting 40 calories. All these plus its high index of potassium and low levels of sodium, it makes it very convenient for weigh lose diets and in all those situations in which you are looking to lose water. It is a very diuretic fruit so it should not be missing in the diet of a person with overweight. Its consumption increments the production of urine. This helps you in lowering weight, but it is equally good in cases where you are having liquids retention, for example, during pregnancy, menopause, heart or hepatic failure.

Kiwifruits helps your digestion process

Kiwifruit it is very adequate in order to perform a good digestion, because it contains a proteolytic enzyme called actinide and, just like it happens with pineapple’s bromelain, it is very good for splitting up proteins, favouring digestion, avoiding gastritis and the generation of gases.

Who shall not eat kiwifruits?

The proteolytic enzyme called actinide is toxic for some people, which are allergic to it. So, for the people who have problems digesting other food, like papayas or pineapples, should not eat kiwifruits either. Kiwifruits are very rich in oxalates (salts). For this reason, people who have a tendency in developing renal calculus (generated by calcium oxalates), should avoid eating this fruit, rich in this salts. Kids are specially sensitive to the negative consequences of oxalates, so they should eat kiwifruits with caution.

Varieties

Hayward

Hayward It’s the more well-known variety. Its skin is brownish and hairy, with an emerald-green pulp and edible tiny black seeds. Its taste is sweet, but a bit rough too.

Jin Tao

The Jin Tao or Golden Kiwi, it’s a new variety of kiwifruit, but with a yellow pulp. It contains almost the double amount of vitamin C than Hayward variety, having up to 170-180 mg per 100 gr. Also, its taste is sweeter and softer. Its earlier than other kiwifruits, and it ripening process finishes about 20-25 days in advance.

Summer Kiwi

It can be easily recognized for its well-proportioned and elongated shape. Its flavour is sweet, delicate and less rougher than Hayward. It has Italian origins and is the result of more than 20 years of scientific investigation and more than 18.000 crosses.