KIWI FRUIT

KIWI FRUIT

                Kiwi fruit, also known as Chinese gooseberry or Macaque peach, is the national fruit of China. The sweet fruit tastes like a combination of pineapple, banana and strawberry. Named after the flightless brown bird kiwi, the fruit is a delight to the taste buds and is loved by all.Kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis) originated in the Chang Kiang valley of China. Botanists renamed the commonly used fruit variety as A. deliciosa in 1984 and reserved the name A. chinensis for the yellow-fleshed kiwifruit.Since ancient times, Chinese used it as a health tonic, especially, for women after childbirth and for children to enhance immunity. In the early 1900, kiwi fruit was first exported to Asia as an ornamental vine. Americans tasted the fruit in the year 1904 and it reached New Zealand in 1906. The potential nutritional benefits of the exotic fruit were identified by the New Zealanders and they started cultivating it commercially. Kiwi fruit has a brown hairy peel with white pulp and green flesh. It has tiny black seeds and green creamy and yummy flesh. Immature fruits are hard while mature ones are softer and yield to little pressure. They are full of vitamin C and act as good appetizers in salads, fish, meat dishes, puddings, cakes and pies. However most of us are unaware about the varied heath benefits of this delicious fruit.  Nutrient Values in Kiwi FruitThe kiwi fruit is rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, dietary fiber and magnesium. It contains low amount of sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat.Kiwi fruit has more vitamin C than equal amount of oranges. Children fed 5-7 portions of kiwi fruit developed 44 percent less chances of being affected by wheezing as compared to those who were fed once a week, according to an Italian study published in the Thorax, an International Journal of Respiratory Medicine (BMJ group).Another study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that kiwi fruit consumption could significantly improve sleep quality in adults with sleep problems. 

           Los Angeles: Eating kiwi fruit can help in better digestion, new research says.According to research, the green kiwi fruit has enzyme actinidin, which is not present in any other fruit. This enzyme can deliver enhanced gastric digestion, reports femalefirst.co.uk.'Although somewhat already recognised as a natural digestive aid, this research focused on the role of kiwi fruit in the breaking down of food protein that can be particularly hard to digest in comparison to other foods,' Nele Moorthamers, European marketing manager of kiwifruit exporter Zespri, which conducted the research, said in a statement.'Kiwi fruit is rich in actinidin which breaks down protein quicker and more effectively than digestive enzymes can do alone, making kiwi fruit a perfect choice to overcome digestive issues,' added Moorthamers.The study promotes the use of kiwi fruit as a part of an individual's daily diet.

                                      Prof. John Kurakar