Did you know that kiwis are helpful for combating insomnia? Kiwifruit contains serotonin, which plays a key role in helping your body regulate your sleep cycles. Struggling with insomnia is really annoying, but it’s even worse for your body to rely on synthetic drugs to help. Studies have shown that consuming kiwi while winding down, at the end of your day, can lead to better quality sleep. Paired with tart cherries, these could be used as a natural alternative to over-the-counter melatonin. Instead of taking some man-made medicine, you could rely more on kiwis that also bring other benefits to your health.
Some of the benefits you could reap from consuming kiwi on a regular basis include better skin health, better heart health, and aiding digestion of proteins. Of course, you also get a load of antioxidants and vitamins to give your body a boost of clean energy. Let’s get a little more in depth about how kiwi helps your body aside from helping you get better sleep.
Vitamins and Antioxidants in Kiwifruit
The vitamins in kiwi are numerous. Kiwifruit is particularly high in vitamin C. Kiwi also contains vitamin b1, vitamin b2, vitamin b3, vitamin b5, vitamin b6, vitamin b9, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. You can get the most vitamin E, folate, and fiber if you also eat the kiwi skin. You will also find that kiwi contains beneficial antioxidant compounds such as carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin. These antioxidant compounds are all very helpful for fighting age-related health decline and vision loss. It’s believed that they even help the human eye to filter out harmful blue light from computer screens. These compounds also fight against cancer cells. With range of beneficial vitamins and compounds, kiwis are considered to be a superfood.
Better at Digesting Proteins
Kiwi contains a special enzyme named “actinidin.” This special enzyme is found primarily in kiwifruit, and it’s also a major allergen. The enzyme works wonders in your digestive system as it operates as a sort of meat tenderizer. Actinidin is what we call a protease, which means that it aids the body in breaking down proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids. This allows your body’s cells to better absorb the proteins that you consume, which leads to better muscle recovery and energy levels. This also helps the body’s hormone signals and functionality.
Anti-inflammatory benefits
If you weren’t already aware, inflammation is suspected to be the root cause of all disease. To consume foods that fight inflammation is to help your body stave off sickness and disease. Kiwifruit is one of those foods that can help you do just that. Kiwi contains a protein named “kiwellin” which fights inflammation in the body. This is a major protein found in kiwi, and it’s powerful against fighting infections and inflammation, especially within the gut (following consumption of the fruit). This protein helps to regulate the gut physiology. It’s important to note that kiwellin can cause allergies to some folks.
Regulation of the Reproductive System
Some of you are going to love this. Green kiwifruits contain a protein named “kissper” which is also known as kisspeptin. Kissper comes from the breaking down of kiwellin by means of the actinidin functioning within the body. This protein is powerful for several reasons. Consuming kissper is helpful for stimulating puberty, boosting fertility, and testosterone production. It’s even believed that kissper provides the body with enhanced bone health, better mood and energy balancing, enhanced metabolism, and cardioprotective effects. Kissper may even be effective at suppressing the proliferation of cancer cells in the body.
Contributes to Controlling Asthma
With the rich nutrient profile and anti-inflammatory compounds we just went over, it’s believed that kiwis help in controlling asthma. There has been research revealing the correlation between asthma and vitamin C. It was discovered that increasing consumption of vitamin C leads to less asthma symptoms. Since kiwifruits are so rich in vitamin C, this helps people with asthma to better manage their condition. Paired with the anti-inflammatory kiwellin, asthma symptoms appear to improve.
In summary
Kiwis are loaded with plently of nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and acids that have a dramatically powerful effect on our health. With regular consumption of kiwi we can bolster our immune system and digestive functionality. Kiwi might even be helpful in reducing symptoms of asthma. Who’d have thought that such a tiny little fruit can have such a huge impact on our bodies?
