The last two weeks have been a challenge alright! Eating the kiwifruit was not hard AT ALL, so that wasn't even challenging at all! It has been all the blogging that has been kind of tough, but if it weren't for all of you, I am not sure I would have kept up with this post-a-day stuff! I am so privileged to have such wonderful readers! Thank you! <3
I really hope that you have entered the give away - its my way of saying thank you so much - I wish I had one for each of you!
This is my celebration snack - Salticrax and Cheese - my one true weakness! I can never say no to it! And I used my 2 favourite cheeses here: a yummy brie and some philly cream cheese! And I, of course topped it all of with some sweet and zesty kiwi!
What better way to end off 14 hectic, but wonderful days of Zespri Kiwi!
Thank you all for being such lovely readers!
xxxx
The moment of truth - how have these two weeks changed my life :)
Well, other then the healthy mind set I have gained from eating fresh fruit everyday (must admit , I did eat a chocolate sprinkled do nut this week - so maybe not totally healthy ha ha!!) I guess I have lost a bit of weight - woooo hooo and I have learnt SO much about kiwi! SO much so that I will be on the look out for the Zespri label at the shops and I am sure kiwifruit will end up in my shopping basket more often then not in the future! Here are 10 really cool things about kiwi, just to end it all off..
| 1. | Kiwifruit are the nutrition powerhouse of fruit | |
| Kiwifruit consistently rank at the top of fruit in
nutrition density models which tell us exactly how nutritious food is.
That means you get more vitamins and minerals per gram, and per calorie,
of kiwifruit than most other fruit. |
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| 2. | Kiwifruit are rich in vitamin C | |
| While oranges have a deserved reputation as valuable
sources of vitamin C, kiwifruit can also lay a claim on the vitamin C
crown. In fact there is twice as much vitamin C in kiwifruit as there
are in oranges. You only need one kiwifruit each day to get your
recommended daily intake of vitamin C. |
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| 3. | Other vitamins that kiwifruit are especially high in compared to other fruit | |
| Vitamin E It’s quite unusual for a low fat food, let alone a fruit, to be a good source of vitamin E. However, kiwifruit is a great low fat natural source of vitamin E, which is well known for its heart health and antioxidant properties. Folate Kiwifruit is a natural source of folate which women take to help prevent neural defects in their unborn babies. It also assists in brain and cognitive development in children and combats cardiovascular disease. Folate is so important many countries are considering adding it to flour or bread to ensure the population consumes sufficient amounts. Potassium A kiwifruit has about the same level of potassium as a banana - but only half the calories. This makes kiwifruit an excellent low-sodium option to access potassium, which is potentially beneficial for heart health and in the maintenance of blood pressure. |
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| 4. | Kiwifruit are a good source of the carotenoid lutein | |
| Kiwifruit not only has one of the highest concentrations
of lutein in fruits - but the lutein in kiwifruit has recently been
shown to be really highly bioaccessible (better than from vegetables)
and so it is bio-available - meaning it can actually do good things such
as help to prevent age related deterioration of eye-sight. |
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| 5. | Kiwifruit are naturally high in antioxidants and other potentially-beneficial phytochemicals | |
| Eating kiwifruit will provide your daily intake of
antioxidants, such as polyphenols and carotenoids, to help fight the
damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress. |
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| 6. | Kiwifruit can help improve the function of your immune system | |
| Kiwifruit help ward off the effects of stress,
inflammation and attack from bacteria and viruses. Recent and ongoing
trials have shown kiwifruit to be highly-effective at beneficially
modulating the immune system. |
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| 7. | Eating just two kiwifruit a day has been proven to reduce the amount of oxidative damage to your cells and improve the repair of damaged Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) caused by oxidative stress | |
| This has been shown in human studies both in New Zealand and Europe. |
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| 8. | Eating kiwifruit with a meal reduces the oxidative stress on your body from that meal - especially if it is high-fat food | |
| Researchers in the United States found that people who
ate kiwifruit with or after a meal had a marked reduction in the markers
of oxidative stress. |
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| 9. | Just two to three kiwifruit a day has been shown to reduce blood platelet aggregation | |
| Platelet aggregation is a known risk-factor for
cardiovascular disease. Platelet aggregation contributes to arterial and
blood vessel blocking, and kiwifruit have been shown to reduce it. |
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| 10. | Kiwifruit are really great to relieve that bloated and blocked feeling | |
| Recognised widely as a natural digestive aid, this is due to the unique combination of fibre and other components in kiwifruit. Source: http://www.zespri.com/zespri-health/fabulous-facts.html And here is my last reminder to enter the giveaway.... You can enter here   It includes a Zespri carry bag, a Zespri green kiwi box with a spife, a Zespri yellow lunch box with a side kiwi compartment and spife, a kiwi hand cream, a kiwi lip balm and R150 fruit and veg voucher. (kiwi is not included :) ) |
See you back here tomorrow when I announce the winner!