The kiwi is a fruit or berry that, above all, has a superpower: its high content of vitamin C, which is 92.17 milligrams per 100 grams, almost double what we can find in an orange.
And why is vitamin C so important? Because, as emphasized by the company Zespri Kiwifruit, the world’s largest seller of kiwifruit, based in New Zealand, vitamin C is a nutrient that has something magical, since, as a natural antioxidant, it helps to improve the level of vitality and combat fatigue.
On the other hand, they add in the company, “replenishing vitamin C levels every day can work wonders on our skin. This is because the vitamin C in kiwi contributes to the normal formation of collagen, a substance that enables firm skin and elastic.
What’s more, antioxidants such as vitamin C help protect the body’s cells against free radicals.” There are also studies, reported in Zespri Kiwifruit, that link the consumption of this vitamin with lower levels of stress and anxiety.
vitamin cocktail
Ana Molina Jiménez, graduate in Pharmacy and nutritionist dietician at AM Nutrición Integral, in statements to EFEsalud, reveals that “the consumption of a single piece provides 116% of the recommended daily amount, so that with a single kiwi you get 100 % needed. In addition, kiwifruit contains remarkable amounts of vitamin K, potassium, folic acid and fiber.” The nutritionist recommends taking this berry whole and not blended, because by doing so “some of its properties are lost”, such as fiber.
Due to its high level of vitamin C, Molina Jiménez emphasizes that it is a fantastic food to keep the immune system strong, especially for those who have come out of an operation or are convalescing.
Promotes healing
In this sense, the expert recalls that adequate nutrition is more important during convalescence than during illness. She also emphasizes that the vitamin C in kiwi is also involved in healing processes and, together with its antioxidants, help “cushion the aging process, both internal and external to the skin.”
On the other hand, the nutritionist reports that thanks to its moderate fiber content, kiwi helps maintain good intestinal transit and prevent constipation, while allowing rapid recovery in athletes thanks to its potassium content, a mineral that we also find in the banana.
Finally, Molina Jiménez recalls that only 100 grams of kiwi – the weight of a medium one – provide half of the recommended daily amount of vitamin K, involved in activating blood coagulation or in maintaining healthy and strong bones. .
Ideal for pregnant women
This fruit, low in calories and that helps fight cholesterol, is especially indicated for pregnant women due to its high content of folic acid, which prevents possible malformations in the fetus during the months of gestation.
Folate or folic acid, remember in Zespri Kiwifruit is an essential nutrient, both for the mother and for her future child. “The baby needs it to grow and develop properly in the womb, and both to ensure that oxygen reaches all the cells and all the tissues and organs of the body.
For this reason, many doctors recommend that pregnant women ingest additional sources of folate during pregnancy, particularly during the first month of gestation,” they explain.
The kiwi, which has the particularity that it preserves its green color even when ripe, due to its high chlorophyll content, is a berry native to China. Introduced in New Zealand in 1904, where it was baptized as “Kiwi” due to its similarity to the bird of the same name, it is also cultivated in these countries, mainly in Italy, Turkey, Greece, France, Chile, Iran, Japan, the United States United States, Portugal and Spain.