It is no secret that a balanced and healthy diet does wonders to a child’s health and overall well-being.
Ideally, a balanced diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables with healthy doses of protein and carbohydrates thrown in as well.
Fibre also plays an important role in this balanced diet, and one way of ensuring your kids get a healthy dose of fibre is to give them at least 3 servings of fruit a day.
Did you know that there are some fruits that contain much more fibre than others? One fruit that packs a fibre-rich punch is the little but mightily nutritious kiwifruit.
The amazing Zespri Green Kiwifruit
Zespri, the world’s largest marketer of kiwifruit, knows quite a bit about this tiny wonder of a fruit.
The Zespri Green Kiwifruit — which is recognized as a superfruit — is a healthier and more nutritious snack option for your child.
There’s much more to know about Zespri Kiwifruit. For instance, it has 4 times the nutrition of grapes (per 100 kcal) and 2 times the fibre of pineapple per 100g of edible flesh.
Despite their small size, these fruits are power-packed with 20 essential nutrients which are vital for growing children, namely Vitamin C, potassium, folate, Vitamin E, and antioxidants.
And of course, Zespri Kiwifruit is a fantastic source of fibre as well.
The importance of Fibre
Dietary fibre plays an important role in keeping children’s digestive systems healthy. Scientific research has shown that eating Zespri Kiwifruit regularly helps promote normal bowel habits with less bloating1.
This is possibly due to the high capacity for Zespri Green Kiwifruit fibre to hold water, and therefore create bulkier, softer stools.
The dietary fibre from Zespri Green Kiwifruit also helps with intestinal enzymes secretion which may help in promoting natural resistance to illness and the growth of beneficial bacteria.
There is also a unique type of fibre and other important bioactive substances that are present in Zespri Kiwifruit that play a key role in overall digestive health.
Helping kids grow
Protein is one of the essential nutrients for building and maintaining muscles, organs, connective tissues, skin, bones, teeth, blood and DNA.
It also assists with the formation of enzymes which, in turn, contributes to the normal function of our bodies.
For our bodies to receive the maximum benefit from protein, it needs to be broken down by an enzyme such as Actinidin, which is present in Zespri Green Kiwifruit.
Scientific research shows that Actinidin helps to break down various types of proteins including meat, milk, legumes, beef, gluten and soy protein, enhancing the absorption of amino acids, which is very important for growing children.
Preventing constipation
Constipation in kids is a major concern for many parents. So if your child also suffers from constipation, you’ll be happy to learn that Zespri Green Kiwifruit is known to inhibit digestive discomfort and constipation in children.
Of course, kids should also get enough outdoor play-time and have a sufficient intake of fluid to boost a healthy digestive tract as well.
So, help your child love the fibre boost offered by Zespri Green Kiwifruit by enjoying a ‘scoop’ of this amazing fruit every day!
Refreshing and delicious recipes
Here are a couple of refreshingly delicious and nutritious recipes featuring Zespri Green Kiwifruit that you can try at home.
1. Zespri Kiwifruit with Lychee Fruit Salad with Konyakku Jelly Cube
2. Zespri Kiwifruit Yoghurt Pudding
For more information on Zespri Green Kiwifruit, visit www.zespri.com.my
Parents, have you tried Zespri Green Kiwifruit? Did you know that this little fruit had all these amazing health benefits? Share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment below.
References:
1. Chan, Leung. et al, 2007; Rush, Patel, et at., 2002