New Zealand's Own Super Food

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A product that could genuinely be said to be a "NZ Produced Super Food" is Golden Kiwi Fruit. It was bred here in NZ and is freely available in the Supermarkets. It contains almost all the essential vitamins and minerals as well as being a very strong antioxidant. To me it would make much more sense to eat a Golden Kiwi Fruit each day than pop a multi vitamin capsule. Personally I like the flavour of the original Green Kiwi Fruit and it is also a very healthy food although it has slightly lesser vitamin and mineral values compared to the Gold variety.

An additional piece of research on Golden Kiwi Fruit has recently been carried out in NZ showing a specific health effect.

Eating a couple of gold kiwifruit every day may reduce the severity of symptoms of the common cold, says new data from Massey University.

The numbers of days suffering from a sore throat were cut from 5.4 to 2 days as a result of eating kiwifruit, compared to bananas, while the numbers of days of suffering from head congestion fell from 4.7 to 0.9 days, researchers report in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Consuming the kiwifruit led to increases in blood levels of vitamin C, said the researchers from the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research and Massey University.

“This study shows that the micronutrients provided by regular eating of gold kiwifruit appear to be important in reducing symptoms of colds and other upper respiratory infections, “said lead author Dr Denise Hunter.

“While we do not know what compounds produce these results, these findings suggest that eating gold kiwifruit on a regular basis throughout the winter period may reduce the severity of some cold symptoms.”

The study was funded by Zespri International Limited and the company also provided the fresh and free-dried gold kiwifruit used in the study.

Cold Statistics

The common cold is one of the most widespread illnesses in the world. It is estimated that adults suffer from between two and four episodes annually, whilst children in school may have as many as 12 episodes per year.

A recent Cochrane review estimated that the total economic impact of cold-related work loss exceeds $20 billion per year in USA. As a result, Americans spend around $2.9 billion on over-the-counter drugs (and another $400 million on prescription medicines) for symptomatic relief of cold.

Study Details

If further data supports the findings of the new study, it could see kiwifruit added to a list of potential cold remedies. The researchers recruited 37 healthy over-65 year olds and asked them to eat four kiwifruit daily for four weeks then switch to two bananas per day (or vice versa) with a four week kiwifruit/banana-free period prior to each treatment period.

Results indicated a very clear reduction in self-reported cold symptoms with gold kiwifruit compared to banana.

Other Potential Health Benefits

Cancer

According to the Rowett Research Institute in the United Kingdom, eating kiwifruit on a daily basis almost doubles the repair rate of your DNA. This is the kind of genetic damage that can be responsible for cancer.

Heart Health

The University of Oslo in Norway has reported that if you eat 2 or 3 kiwifruit a day, you will improve your heart health: thins your blood and reduces blood clotting. Also lowers the triglyceride (fat) levels in your blood by an average of %15.

Asthma

After a study in Italy it was discovered that children eating 5 to 7 servings of kiwifruit and other citrus fruits per week reported a significant decrease in coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.

Skin

The high dosage of vitamin C contained in a kiwi has the ability to keep skin firm and supple by maintaining it’s collagen levels. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant giving it antibacterial qualities that help brighten and cleanse your skin. Vitamin E, also found in the kiwis is known for healing and reducing scars. It’s antioxidant qualities make it a fighter against pre-mature wrinkling which is caused from oxidization.

Prebiotic

Of the numerous companies making prebiotic supplements, many have chosen the kiwifruit as the food of choice. It has nutrients that make it a potent prebiotic; the foods that feed and support the probiotic microbes in your digestive system. These microbes, also known as bacteria, are devided into good and bad and both exist in your gut.

To maintain good health there must be many more of the good bacteria than bad. What prebiotics do is feed the good bacteria and make them grow, giving them the fighting advantage they need

Whether you get green or gold kiwifruit benefits, you can be sure you’ll be eating one of the most nutrient-perfect foods on earth.
 

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