The kiwi fruit is a small fruit with a brown skin
and a golden or green inner part with small black seeds. This fruit, grown in countries like New Zealand,
Italy, Chile, Greece and France, has been known for its nutritional
content. It is not only fat free, but is rich in fiber and nutrients like
potassium, magnesium, folate, zinc, vitamin E, lutein and antioxidants.
Recent research suggests that kiwifruit is a very
rich source of vitamin C, and may be preferred even over oranges to meet the
daily requirement of vitamin C. Vitamin
C is necessary for various metabolic processes of the body. Deficiency of vitamin C results in scurvy, a
condition once common in sailors.
Symptoms of scurvy include bleeding gums, brittle bones and growth
The recent research suggests that eating one
kiwifruit a day provides the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C and
results in a healthy vitamin C level, while optimum levels are achieved by
eating two kiwifruits a day. The
kiwifruit has been found to provide more vitamin C than a daily orange.
The study would be more applicable to the Indian
context if a direct comparison was made between kiwifruit and the local,
richest source of vitamin C, i.e. amla or Indian gooseberry. The cost considerations would also have to
be kept in mind while making this comparison.