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5Kiwi Juice - 8 Good Reasons to Add to Your Diet
Tkacheva Natalia, phytotherapist, nutritionist
Eliseeva Tatyana, editor-in-chief of the EdaPlus.info project
E-mail: tkacheva.n@edaplus.info, eliseeva.t@edaplus.info
Abstract. Kiwi juice is a delicious and very healthy drink that will help you quickly replenish all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, fully prepare for the season of viruses and colds. Include it in your family's daily diet and make sure that the natural remedies given to us by nature are no less effective than pharmacy drugs and potions.
Key words: kiwi, kiwi juice, useful properties, contraindications, composition, calorie content
Small rounded fruits with juicy greenish flesh and delicate edging are now known to all lovers of exotic fruits. But few people know that these unusual fruits received their modern "name" relatively recently, only in the 60s of the last century, from the New Zealand breeder Alexander Ellison, in whom they evoked an association with a small local bird. We are talking about kiwi, the fruits of cultivated varieties of the Actinidia plant brought from China, grown in the first half of the 20th century in New Zealand.
Cultivated Chinese gooseberries (sometimes referred to as kiwi) have an original multi-faceted taste and occupies a leading position among fruits in terms of the content of useful vitamins and microelements. No less useful is freshly squeezed kiwi juice. Finding such an exotic drink on supermarket shelves is a rather difficult task, but anyone can make it on their own.
Composition and calories
Actinidia delicacy fruits are ideal for dietary nutrition. They are quite low-calorie (100 grams of pulp contains 64 kcal [1] ), they have practically no fats and proteins (0.44% and 1.06%, respectively), very few carbohydrates (14%) and a lot of water - 83.9 %. Therefore, delicious and refreshing sweet and
sour fresh kiwi perfectly complements various diet menus, and its content of a large amount of vitamins and minerals (much more than in many other popular fruits) helps to quickly fill their deficiency in the body. In particular, kiwifruit juice is rich in the following key macro and micronutrients:
• Potassium (198 mg). Along with sodium, it is one of the most important components of the extracellular fluid - it is responsible for the body's water balance, improves the proper functioning of internal organs, the nervous and blood systems, ensures the normal functioning of the kidneys, prevents the development of convulsions and weakness, and stabilizes blood pressure. [2]
• Magnesium (16 mg). It normalizes the functioning of the nervous system, helps to overcome stressful conditions, get rid of insomnia [3] , irritability, dizziness, feelings of constant fatigue, relieves the symptoms of dysmenorrhea (painful periods) [4] , accelerates tissue regeneration, improves digestion and brain activity, promotes better digestibility vitamins (groups B and C). The lack of a mineral in the body can provoke the occurrence of strokes, migraines, cardiovascular diseases. [5] .
• Lutein and zeaxanthin (122 mcg). The fruit is considered one of the main natural sources of carotenoid pigments useful for vision [6] . They provide additional protection for the eyes from the harmful effects of the blue part of the light spectrum - they prevent the destruction of the lens and clouding of the retina, the development of cataracts, and other age-related vision diseases. [7]
• Niacin, or nicotinic acid (0.37 mg). Also known as vitamin B3 and PP. Participates in many redox reactions of the body, is a weak anticoagulant - thins the blood, improves its circulation, prevents the development of strokes, regulates the level of bad cholesterol in the blood [8] , improves carbohydrate metabolism, contributes to the normalization of body weight. Deficiency of vitamin PP provokes the formation of skin diseases, pellagra, the formation of cracks in the corners of the mouth.
Freshly squeezed kiwi juice contains 2 times more vitamin C than lemon - 74.7 mg! Studies show that juice obtained from just one medium-sized fruit almost completely replenishes the daily requirement of ascorbic acid necessary for an adult. [9] It is this water-soluble antioxidant that provides invaluable benefits to the body — it normalizes metabolism, stimulates the production of its own collagen [10] , which has a positive effect on the condition of the skin and hair, promotes rapid healing of wounds [11] , improves immunity [12] , is successfully used in anticancer therapy [13] . In addition, fresh kiwi fruit rich in vitamin C helps to reduce the amount of fat consumed in food, which favorably affects the figure, and increases the overall vitality of the body. [14]
Top 8 Health Benefits of Kiwi Juice
1. Improves digestion
Kiwifruit contains a proteolytic enzyme, actinidin, which helps break down protein and makes food easier to digest. [15] To improve the condition of people suffering from the symptom of irritable bowel and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract [16] , a useful vitamin supplement in the form of a daily glass of fragrant and refreshing kiwi juice will help.
2. Helps fight sleep disorders
Kiwi contains many beneficial micronutrients, including antioxidants and serotonin, which have a positive effect on the duration and quality of sleep. [17] Drink 2 kiwi fruit juice every night before bed to help you fall asleep quickly and get a good night's sleep!
3. Useful for diabetes
Studies confirm that actinidia deli juice has anti-diabetic effects - it can be used as an adjunctive therapy to improve the health of diabetic patients. [18]
4. Increases immunity
Rich in various vitamins, antioxidants and plant flavonoids, the drink has a positive effect on the immune system - it helps fight colds and viral diseases. With the advent of the season of viruses and colds, it is mandatory to add it to the family diet as an additional vitamin supplement. [19]
5. Lowers blood cholesterol
Consuming only 2 kiwi fruit per day (or fresh from a similar amount of fruits) for 8 weeks can significantly reduce the amount of lipids in the blood, which will positively affect the patency of blood vessels and help avoid the risk of cardiovascular disease. [20]
6. Has a wound healing effect
The content of a large amount of vitamin C in the drink has a positive effect both on the entire body as a whole (suspends the aging process, improves skin condition, etc.), and promotes faster healing of the epidermis and mucous membranes. In particular, numerous scientific experiments prove that dressings soaked in fresh kiwi juice help to quickly relieve inflammation and heal burn and ulcer wounds. [21]
7. Reduces Inflammation and Reduces Fever
It has kiwi juice and analgesic effect. Studies show that the drink quickly relieves pain and eliminates tissue inflammation, has an antipyretic effect - helps in the treatment of diseases associated with pain,
inflammation and fever. [22]
8. Prevents the development of osteoporosis
Age-related changes and surgical removal of the ovaries (oophorectomy) lead to osteoporosis, leaching of calcium from the bone mass - the bones become more fragile and vulnerable. As the practice of many traumatologists shows, the systematic use of delicious kiwi juice helps to avoid accidental fractures and strengthen the bones of patients. [23]
Daily consumption of kiwi, including freshly squeezed juice from these fruits, improves health and provides good prevention against numerous diseases. [24]
Contraindications and possible harm of eating fresh kiwi
Despite the huge benefits for the body, kiwi can also be dangerous. In particular, it should be used with caution by allergy sufferers, since this fruit quite often causes allergic reactions in adults and children. They can manifest themselves both in the form of local discomfort (rash or skin irritation from contact with juice), and more systemically - rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and even anaphylactic shock. [25] Therefore, if you have never tried kiwi or fresh from it before, start your acquaintance with the drink carefully, with small doses, to make sure that there is no allergic reaction.
Drinking fresh kiwi, like other fruit juices, is recommended in the morning between meals or on an empty stomach (thus vitamins and nutrients are absorbed most effectively). But we should not forget about the hygiene of the oral area - natural fruit juice negatively affects tooth enamel with prolonged
contact, which can lead to the formation of caries. [26] Therefore, dentists recommend drinking such drinks through a straw, and then thoroughly rinsing the mouth to remove residual liquid.
Norms and recommendations for the use of kiwi juice
In order to fully saturate the body with all the necessary vitamins, useful micro and macro elements, it is enough for an adult to drink juice daily, squeezed from 2-3 medium-sized kiwi fruits. For teenagers, the norm can be reduced to 2 pieces, for children aged 5-7 years - up to one fetus.
Note! Since kiwi belongs to the category of rather allergenic products [27] , it is recommended to start acquaintance with the product with minimal doses. Also, due to increased allergenicity, pediatricians do not recommend including kiwi juice in the diet of babies under 3 years of age.
How to prepare and store kiwi juice
To get the maximum benefit from the product, experts recommend using only freshly squeezed juice. It contains the maximum amount of phenols, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, fiber, and other substances necessary for the body. But, as studies show, pasteurization (the process of a single short heating of the product to a temperature not exceeding 100 degrees Celsius) does not particularly reduce the amount of nutrients in the drink. [28] For long-term storage of the product, this method can be chosen.
For the preparation of juice, it is recommended to select whole elastic fruits without dents. They are pre-peeled (it can also be processed with the skin, since it contains a much larger amount of nutrients, polyphenols and flavonoids than the pulp [29] ), cut into pieces and passed through a juicer or interrupted in a blender. The resulting smoothie can be consumed in its original form, additionally diluted with pure or mineral water, other fruit juices (it goes well with strawberry or orange juice).
Expert comment
Tatyana Eliseeva, nutritionist
Kiwi juice is a delicious and very healthy drink that will help you quickly replenish all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, fully prepare for the season of viruses and colds. Include it in your family's daily diet and make sure that the natural remedies given to us by nature are no less effective than pharmacy drugs and potions.
Literature
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Received 20.02.2023
Kiwi juice - 8 good reasons to add it to your diet
Tkacheva Natalia, phytotherapist, nutritionist
Eliseeva Tatyana, editor-in-chief of the project EdaPlus.info
E-mail: tkacheva.n@edaplus.info, eliseeva.t@edaplus.info
Abstract. Kiwi juice is a tasty and very useful drink that will help to quickly replenish all the necessary vitamins and minerals, fully prepare to meet the season of viruses and colds. Include it in the daily ratio of your family and make sure that the natural remedies given to us by nature are not less effective than the drugstore drugs and mixtures.
