Go Krazy for Kiwi

Looking for a new kind of snack that is both tasty and healthy? Look no further than kiwi, a fruit of Chinese origin that is positively loaded with many of the nutrients your body craves.

While “kiwi’ might seem like the perfect name for an exotic food, it actually represents the third name given to the fruit. The first two choices, “Chinese gooseberry” and “sunny peach,” certainly left a lot to be desired; the lack of popularity for these names likely prompted New Zealand natives to dub the fruit the “kiwi,” after the island’s national bird.

The health benefits of kiwi are numerous. Chow down on a piece of kiwi and read all about them:

• One cup of kiwi contains 5.4 grams of fiber. Adults need a good amount of fiber each day – 22-28 grams for women, 28-34 grams for men. A cup of Kiwi can put these goals within reach.
• Kiwis sure won’t derail your diet; one cup of kiwi has only 1 gram of fat.
• Kiwi is a good source of several minerals, as 1 cup of kiwi contains 28 percent daily EMR (estimated minimum requirement) of potassium, 26 percent RDA (recommended daily allowance) for copper and 8 percent RDA for manganese. Potassium is used by your body to counteract the negative effects of sodium.
• If you find yourself lacking vitamin C, grab a kiwi – at 200 percent RDA per cup, kiwi is an absolute vitamin C bonanza. Vitamin C strengthens your body’s immune system, improves brain function and helps create an essential bodily protein called collagen.
• Vitamins E and K are also found in significant quantities in Kiwi, to the tune of 18 percent RDA and 60 percent RDA respectively. Your immune system uses Vitamin E to help fight free radicals, while Vitamin K assists the body with blood clotting.
• A typical serving size for kiwi is ½ a cup.
• Kiwis usually last 1 to 2 weeks in your refrigerator.
• You can eat the kiwi’s skin, but if it’s not an organic kiwi, make sure to wash it thoroughly to get rid of pesticides.
• If you want an unripe kiwi to ripen more quickly, place it in a paper or plastic bag with a banana. Once it is ripe, place it back into the fridge.