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Healthy Diet Plans >>
Therapeutic Value of Different Foods >>
Fruits >>
Kiwifruit |
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KiwifruitKiwifruit is loaded with vitamin C so as in equivalent amounts of that of orange.
New Zealand kiwifruit is available in the market June through October and fresh California kiwifruit is available from November through May, making kiwis available all round the year. Kiwi is a small fruit weighing approximately 4 ounces and 3 inches in length. Although its creamy flesh resembles in taste to strawberries or bananas, it had its own unique sweet flavor.
Health and kiwifruitThis small fruit is packed with important vitamins and minerals and numerous phytonutrients that promotes good health. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, and a very good source of vitamin E and dietary fiber. It also provides minerals like potassium, copper and magnesium.
- Kiwifruits has the ability to protect DNA against oxidative damage. A variety of flavonoids and carotenoids along with phytonutrients, vitamin C and beta carotene in kiwi may be responsible for this DNA protection.
- Kiwifruit is loaded with vitamin C a primary water-soluble antioxidant that helps to neutralize free radicals and decrease the oxidative stress in the body. These free radicals can cause damage to human cells and can lead to problems like heart diseases, inflammation, cancer and diabetes. Vitamin C is been proved to have beneficial effects for inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and asthma. It also helps to prevent conditions like colon cancer, atherosclerosis, and diabetic heart diseases. Vitamin C also plays an important role in enhancing the immune system and preventing recurrent infections and colds.
- Kiwifruit is a very good source of vitamin E that is an important fat-soluble antioxidant which when combined with water-soluble antioxidants provides free radical protection on all fronts.
- Dietary fiber from kiwifruit helps to reduce high cholesterol levels binds and removes toxins from colon; reduce the risk of colon cancer, heart diseases, heart attack and stroke. Moreover fiber helps the slow release of sugar in the body thereby helping the blood sugar control in the diabetic patients.
- Free radicals may cause an injury to the eye lenses and may lead to cataract or damage the blood supply to the eye causing macular degeneration. To protect the eyesight researches suggest that three or more servings of fruits per day may help lower the risk of age related macular degeneration, which is the primary cause of vision loss in older people by 36% than the other counterpart who consumed less than 1.5 servings of fruits per day.
- Kiwi is listed among the foods that contain oxalates which can cause health problems.
Oxalates when becomes too concentrated can crystallize; they can also combine with calcium to form calcium oxalate stones. Thus it would be wise to avoid kiwifruit for individuals with already existing or untreated kidney or gallbladder problems.
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