Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has many positive effects on the body including improving bone health, reducing cancer risk, and boosting immunity. To get enough vitamin C in your diet, try eating plenty of leafy greens, such as spinach and kale, or citrus fruits like oranges and lemons. However, if you don’t like these options, kiwis are another great way to get your daily dose of vitamin C.
6 Health Benefits of Eating Kiwi
Kiwi fruit is rich in antioxidant vitamin C, which helps your body protect itself from free radicals. Free radicals can damage DNA and cause changes in healthy cells that could lead to cancer. While all fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, kiwi has particularly high levels of vitamin C. Eating just one kiwi has about 30 percent of your daily recommended intake for vitamin C, so it’s best not to neglect other sources, too (like oranges and bell peppers). In addition to helping you stay healthier longer, vitamin C promotes wound healing and maintains healthy bones, cartilage, and teeth. Eat a kiwi along with some orange slices for an extra treat!
These Fruits Help Boost Immunity
Immune system health is one of those things we rarely think about until a cold or flu bug rolls in. Luckily, our bodies are resilient and have amazing power to fend off bugs if we keep them well-nourished. Eating fruit like kiwi can help strengthen your immune system. This may seem surprising given its small size, but it’s true! Read on to find out how you can get that daily dose of vitamin C while enjoying a fresh, sweet treat. The best part? Kiwi is so versatile that you can eat it on its own or incorporate it into other dishes for even more delicious benefits!
The Antioxidants in Kiwi Protect Against Cancer
They Fight Inflammation
While citrus fruits are well known for their vitamin C content, kiwis contain more of it than oranges do. Kiwi has five times as much vitamin C by weight. And while you can get vitamin A from both orange and kiwi fruit, a serving of kiwi contains twice as much beta-carotene—an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in your body—as a serving of orange does. Together, those two antioxidants work to fight inflammation. By helping to keep your immune system strong, you help stave off colds and illnesses that could otherwise leave you side-lined and feeling under the weather for days on end.
They Lower Cholesterol
Cholesterol, a common type of fat found in all your body’s cells, is vital for healthy cell function. However, too much cholesterol can increase your risk for heart disease and other ailments. Kiwi fruit is high in beta-sit sterol, a compound that can reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol. According to research published in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, LDL cholesterol was reduced by an average of 6 percent after just six weeks when participants consumed kiwi juice daily.
They Are Good For Heart Health
Did you know kiwis are full of vitamin C? A single kiwi is more than 100% of your daily recommended intake for that essential nutrient. Vitamin C promotes strong bones and teeth and helps them stay healthy. It also protects your eyes from degeneration and cataracts by preventing oxidation. And vitamin C may even protect your brain from Alzheimer’s disease! Eating just one kiwi each day provides a significant portion of these health benefits—with no need to take supplements or pills. And let’s not forget they contain 3 grams (that’s almost 8%!) of fiber per serving too!
They Help Weight Loss
Besides being high in vitamin C, they’re also low in calories and a good source of fiber. Researchers found that women who ate two kiwi fruits every day lost more weight than those who didn’t eat kiwi. They don’t fully understand why, but they think it might be due to kiwi’s antioxidant activity or ability to promote satiety (the feeling that you’ve had enough to eat). Whatever it is, keep eating them—along with other fruits and vegetables—and you could lose up to 15 pounds over a year-long period.
