2 Kiwis a Day Can Boost Vitamin C, Replace Supplements

SunGold kiwis provide more than 290% of your daily vitamin C needs. Eating two a day can replace the need for supplements.

Kiwis are powerhouses of vitamin C. Most people think of oranges or supplements to increase vitamin C.

However, according to Jacqueline Wyman, MS, RDN, CDN, owner of Jacqueline Wyman Nutrition LLC, SunGold kiwifruit offers the highest amount of vitamin C per serving.

“By adding one or two kiwis a day, you can be sure you’re getting the recommended amount of vitamin C,” Wyman said. Health.

Eating kiwis can replace less nutritious snacks, improving overall health. According to Wyman, one SunGold kiwifruit contains 130 milligrams of vitamin C per 80-gram serving. The green variety contains 70 milligrams of vitamin C and is slightly smaller.

“If you love kiwis, they’re a great source to meet your daily vitamin C needs,” Wyman said.

There is little research into whether kiwi will prevent you from catching a cold or flu, even with its high amounts of vitamin C.

The idea of ​​taking high doses of vitamin C to prevent colds originated in the 1970s, when scientist and researcher Linus Pauling hypothesized that a daily intake of 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C could reduce the incidence of colds by about 45 percent.

However, subsequent clinical studies have failed to demonstrate its effectiveness. That said, in a 2012 study, researchers found that eating kiwis could potentially shorten the duration of a cold.

Scientists found that people who ate four golden kiwis a day reported less severe congestion and sore throats than the control group. Participants who ate kiwis every day also reported that their cold symptoms disappeared more quickly than those in the control group.

Other benefits of Kiwi

There are other benefits to consuming kiwi as well.

Eating kiwifruit regularly can increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, decrease triglycerides, and lower blood pressure. Golden kiwis can help people with anemia increase their iron levels when eaten with iron-rich meals.

“Incorporating kiwifruit into your daily routine this winter is a convenient way to absorb vitamin C, because small doses are more easily absorbed than a large dose, such as a supplement,” Wyman said.

Wyman recommended planning to include a kiwi in a midday snack or dessert, along with other fruits and vegetables higher in vitamin C.

According to Wyman, getting vitamin C from a variety of fruits and vegetables is preferable to supplements because they offer many other benefits unlike just one vitamin.

“Interestingly, in studies of vitamin C and disease prevention or treatment, [researchers] “It is difficult to separate the benefits of vitamin C from the synergistic effect of all components of fruits and vegetables, for example fiber, folic acid, magnesium and potassium,” Wyman said.

If you’re looking to increase your vitamin C intake but don’t like kiwi or are allergic to it, you can also find vitamin C in several other foods.

Aside from oranges, peppers of all colors are rich in vitamin C, with orange peppers being the richest, Wyman said.

“You can also get a comparable amount of vitamin C in kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, strawberries and pineapple,” Wyman said.