The kiwi fruit is native to China, and kiwis were known to the Chinese as Yang Tao. The kiwi fruit was first introduced to New Zealand from China by missionaries early in the 20th century and the first commercial plantings of kiwi took place several decades later. Kiwi fruits are also known as Chinese gooseberries, reflecting their Oriental origins.
Kiwi fruits were first introduced to American restaurants in 1961, and an American produce distributor helped to introduce them to the supermarkets and grocery stores of the country. Today, kiwi fruits are available in most supermarkets and grocery stores around the country, and it is loved for its nutritional value, its unique appearance and its great taste.
Today, much of the commercial production of kiwi fruit takes place in Italy, New Zealand, France, Japan, Chile and the United States, and this fuzzy coated fruit continues to be popular with many people.
Major benefits of kiwi fruit
Kiwi fruit is rich in many vital phytonutrients, as well as containing a great many important vitamins and minerals that are important to good health.
One of the most significant health benefits of kiwi fruits is their ability to protect DNA. This DNA protecting effect is thought to play a strong role in the prevention of cancer and other diseases, as well as promoting overall good health. Kiwi fruit is known to contain a number of important nutrients, including vitamin C and beta-carotene. In addition, kiwi contains a number of other flavonoids and carotenoids which have been shown to provide strong antioxidant activity. It is thought that these phytonutrients may be responsible for the ability of kiwi fruit to protect DNA.
Kiwi fruit is among the most nutrient dense of all fruits, and this delicious superfood contains many of the most important fat-soluble antioxidant vitamins, including vitamin E and vitamin A. Kiwi fruit contains vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, and allows kiwis to provide strong protection against the cell damage that can be caused by free radicals in the body.
In addition to protecting the DNA and the health of cells, kiwi fruit is thought to help protect the colon as well. Part of the reason for the colon protection provided by kiwi fruit is the fact that kiwis are a rich source of dietary fiber. It is thought that dietary fiber has the ability to reduce cholesterol in the blood, and that it may even play a role in reducing the risk of colon cancer.
In addition, the high concentration of vitamin A contained in kiwi fruit suggests that it may play an important role in protecting people against macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the most common eye disease among the elderly, and vitamin A is known to play a role in reducing the risk of this serious degenerative eye disease. In addition to vitamin A, it is thought that other nutrients contained in kiwi fruit, such as beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E, may provide vital eye protection and help to guard against macular degeneration and other common vision problems.
Kiwi fruit may even provide the same type of heart protection that aspirin does. As a matter of fact, enjoying a few kiwi fruit every day can significantly reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood and lower the risk for blood clots. This makes kiwi fruit a great alternative to the blood thinning protection provided by aspirin, without the side effects that aspirin and other anti-inflammatory medications can provide.
Additional information: To properly choose kiwi fruits, gently apply pressure to the fruit while holding it between the thumb and forefinger. Those kiwi fruits with the sweetest taste will yield to this gentle pressure. Kiwi fruits that are too soft, shriveled or bruised should be avoided, as should those that have damp spots.
Those kiwi fruits that do not yield to gentle pressure are not yet ripe, and they have not yet reached the peak of their sweetness. These
kiwi fruits can be left to ripen for a few days to a week at room temperature. Care should be used to avoid exposure to sunlight or excessive heat while the fruits are ripening. Once ripe, kiwi fruits can be stored either in or out of the refrigerator.
It is important not to store kiwi fruits near other fruits and vegetables, as the ethylene gas emitted by those fruits and vegetables can quickly cause the kiwi fruits to become overripe.
Originally posted 2019-10-01 10:14:25.