by Opielt

Created on: May 15, 2008   Last Updated: June 16, 2008

I have been enjoying the beautiful taste of the Kiwi Fruit for quite some time. I love the sweetness of the juice. I look forward to the slight tanginess of the seeds. Until now I only enjoyed the fruit without really knowing it was doing my body good. I saw an opportunity to learn more about the nutritional value of the Kiwi Fruit as well as its history and to write about it. I was amazed at what I learned. I think you will too.

According to Whfoods.org, Kiwi Fruit traditionally comes from China. They were originally known as Yang Tao. Kiwi Fruit were bought to New Zealand from China by missionaries in the early 20th century. In 1960 the name was changed to Chinese Gooseberries. In 1961 it eventually made its way to a restaurant in America where an American produce distributor who felt that the U.S. market would be very receptive to this unique, exotic fruit discovered it. To make it more appealing the name was changed to what we know now as the Kiwi Fruit.

I went to the California Kiwi Fruit Commission Website. They had a whole page of unknown facts to myself about the wonderful Kiwi Fruit. The first thing I learned was that if I eat just a couple of Kiwi Fruit a day I can lower my risk of blood clots and reduce the amount of fats in my blood. Now that I am over the age of thirty-five; concerns for my heart health are very important to me. Just think an apple a day could keep the doctor away. So could a couple of tasty Kiwi Fruit.

Kiwi Fruit has the highest level of Vitamin C. Eating at least two kiwifruit provides about 230% of the U.S. recommended Daily allowance. Vitamin C helps in healing wounds, iron absorption, and helps to maintain strong teeth and healthy bones.

A study published in the April 2004 issue of Thorax found that children with asthma who ate the most fruits containing vitamin C had 44% less wheezing then children who also had asthma that were eating less fruits containing vitamin C.

Kiwi Fruit also has Vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and may reduce the risk of some forms of cancer and the risk for heart disease.

Kiwi Fruit is also a great source for potassium. It is also low in sodium. Potassium is a mineral that controls heart activity. It works with sodium to maintain fluid balance in the body.

Another thing I found interesting about the Kiwi Fruit is that it also provides folic acid. This is really important for pregnant women. Lack of folic acid can contribute to some problems of anemia. Anemia is a condition in which a person's blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to all parts of the body. You know as well as I do we need oxygen to live.

Kiwi Fruit is good for the body in many ways. So the next time I head to the supermarket I plan on grabbing a few bags of Kiwi Fruit for my family. I hope you choose to do the same.

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