Produce Of The Month

Kiwifruit

Kiwi fruits are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, folate, carotenoids, potassium, phytochemicals, and fibre.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and plays an important role in keeping your immune system working at its best. Vitamin C is also needed to make the protein collagen. Collagen is needed for strong ligaments and tendons as well as youthful looking skin.

The dietary fibre found in a kiwi fruit helps improve symptoms of constipation and promotes healthy bowel health and digestion. Kiwi fruit has 3.4g of dietary fibre per 100g. The soluble fibre and phytochemicals found in kiwi fruit are also a food source for the health promoting gut microbes.

The soluble fibre in kiwi fruit also promotes optimal gut health by softening your stool and making it more comfortable to pass. In addition to this, kiwi fruit has amazing water retaining ability with more than four times the capacity of bran fibre and two times the capacity of an apple. This means it can bind to more of the insoluble type of fibre which helps move your stool through and supports normal and comfortable trips to the bathroom.

In addition to these components, kiwi fruit is the perfect fruit to aid digestion thanks to an enzyme called actinidin. This enzyme helps your body to digest proteins, especially in seafood, dairy, and meat. In addition to this actinidin increases the rate that the contents in your gut move through called gastric emptying. This may help reduce symptoms of bloating after a protein rich meal. Make sure you put kiwifruit on your shopping list.