The wonders of Kiwifruits

More than a century ago, a teacher named Isabel Fraser returned from a trip to China with some special black seeds. Since then, Kiwifruits have become famous thanks to New Zealand though China is its country of origin . There are three types of Kiwifruits namely the green fleshed variety with hairy skin, the smooth-skinned yellow-fleshed variety and the organically grown ones.The yellow-fleshed ones are sweeter than the green-fleshed ones. I usually peel off the skin before I eat them.Recently, I learned that the correct way to eat them is to halve the fruit and then to eat by dishing out the flesh with a plastic spoon. No wonder, I was once given a yellow plastic spoon when I bought a pack of 6 from the supermarket.

These fruits are super riched in vitamins.One fruit has twice as much vitamin C as an orange and it's also a good source of vitamin E , an antioxidant that helps with heart health. The other added values are summarised below:-

• It's a major source of carotenoid called lutein, which helps to keep eyes healthy
• A great source of folic acid, much needed by mums before and during pregnancy
• It's also high in potasium, almost the same level as bananas but only half the calories
• With kiwifruits,we get our daily intake of antioxidants to help fight the cell damage in our body caused by excess free radicals and oxidative stress
• It can help boost functioning of the immune system by warding off the effects of stress, inflammation and attacks from bateria and viruses
• It aids digestion, good "bowel-mover"( so great to eat if you are prone to stomach bloat and constipation )
• It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease

Just two or three kiwifruits a day can reduce blood clotting (or platelets aggregation)
Blood which clots too easily is a known risk factor for cardiovascular or heart disease , as it
contributes to arterial and blood vessel blocking.

Very often, we would also see the name ' Zespri ' on the fruit sticker label.Zespri is the biggest marketer of kiwifruit in the world, selling more than 80 million trays of fruits annually to 60 countries including Malaysia.