Kiwi, also known as the Chinese Gooseberry, is a fruit with an attractive appearance, pleasant taste, and rich nutritional content.
Originally native to China and Taiwan, this fruit is grown commercially in New Zealand and California.
Kiwi fruit has twice the vitamin C content of orange and grapefruit, which are potent sources of vitamin C.
It is rich in carotenoids and antioxidants. Thanks to this rich content, it strengthens immunity and supports the production of collagen, which the skin needs to look young and beautiful.
In addition, it can contribute to faster healing of wounds with its high vitamin K content.
Thanks to its rich fiber content, it supports digestion and supports adequate fiber intake, which adults usually cannot reach.
By consuming seeds such as pumpkin seeds or cashews together with kiwi in your snack, you can increase the absorption of iron from the seeds thanks to the vitamin C in the kiwi.
Kiwi Quick Nutrition Facts
Here's a quick nutrition overview for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of kiwi:
- Energy: 61 calories
- Carbs: 14.7 grams
- Sugar: 8.99 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 1.14 grams
- Fat: 0.52 grams
- Saturated Fat: 0.029 grams
Jump to a section where you can learn more about kiwi nutrition value, including macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, protein quality, and more.
Health Benefits of Kiwi
Thanks to a significant amount of specific vitamins and minerals, kiwi could provide several health benefits.
Continue reading to discover the potential benefits of consuming kiwi.
May Help in the Healing of Wounds
Vitamin C can help in the healing of wounds.
The deficiency of this nutrient can prevent the efficient healing of the damaged tissues, due to which the patient may suffer from chronic inflammatory damage that can lead to cancerous changes.
Vitamin C is also essential for several critical metabolic processes occurring in the body. It also supports the formation of collagen in the skin and other tissues.
Collagen is a protein that forms the basic structural network of several organs in the body. The primary role of collagen is to strengthen the bones, skin, and blood vessels, thus maintaining the structural integrity of these tissues.
It can reduce or slow down the age-related degenerative changes occurring in these tissues.
It can act as an antioxidant. It regulates the metabolism of oxygen in the body and reduces the release of molecular compounds known as free radicals, which can otherwise damage the cell membranes.
It can also support the process of iron absorption and play a role in infection-fighting by stimulating the activities of immune cells like lymphocytes.
Vitamin C is also needed for the production of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.
May Aid in Recovery From Injuries
Vitamin K can support wound healing mechanisms, thus accelerating the recovery of patients with injuries, ulcers, and other forms of lesions.
It is also important for normal blood clotting processes to occur in the body.
Vitamin K plays a critical role in the formation of proteins such as prothrombin, which is needed for the clotting of blood.
This can help to arrest bleeding in the event of injuries and accidents and reduce the risk of excessive blood loss and related complications. In newborn babies, it can prevent a serious bleeding condition known as hemorrhagic disease of the newborn.
Vitamin K also helps the body to synthesize various proteins, which are needed for the building of bones.
It works by improving the activities of a protein called osteocalcin that produces new bone tissue, thus maintaining the strength and density of the bones.
This action of vitamin K can help to reduce the risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis that occur due to the decline in bone mineral density making the bones weak and porous.
Kiwi Nutrition Facts
Continue reading to find out the following kiwi nutrition information:
- Macronutrients
- Vitamin Content
- Mineral Content
- Amino Acid Profile
- Fat Breakdown
- Carbohydrate Breakdown
Macronutrients
Macronutrients, often called macros, are most commonly used term when it comes to eating a healthy diet or losing weight. There are three types of macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Macronutrients provide energy to your body and allows it to function properly. The following table contains the information on kiwi macronutrients, while reading further will give you a better understanding on each of these macronutrients.
Carbohydrate | 14.7 g | |
Protein | 1.14 g | |
Fat | 0.52 g |
Vitamin Content
Kiwi are excellent source of Vitamin C, and Vitamin K.
They also contain a good amount of Vitamin E and some Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid), Vitamin B6 (Pyroxidine), and Vitamin B9 (Folate).
Here's the full kiwi vitamin content per 100g:
Vitamin A | 87 IU | |
Vitamin C | 92.7 mg | |
Vitamin D | 0 µg | |
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 0.027 mg | |
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.025 mg | |
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 0.341 mg | |
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) | 0.183 mg | |
Vitamin B6 (Pyroxidine) | 0.063 mg | |
Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 25 µg | |
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) | 0 µg | |
Vitamin E | 1.46 mg | |
Vitamin K | 40.3 µg |
Mineral Content
Kiwi are not an excellent source of any particular vitamin.
However, they contain a good amount of Copper and some Magnesium, Manganese, and Potassium.
Here's the full kiwi mineral content per 100g:
Calcium | 34 mg | |
Copper | 0.13 mg | |
Fluoride | 0 mg | |
Iron | 0.31 mg | |
Magnesium | 17 mg | |
Manganese | 0.098 mg | |
Phosphorus | 34 mg | |
Potassium | 312 mg | |
Selenium | 0.2 μg | |
Sodium | 3 mg | |
Zinc | 0.14 mg |
Protein and Amino Acid Profile
Kiwi contain 1.1 g of protein per 100 g, or in other words, kiwi provide 1.87 g of protein per 100 kcal.
Similarly to most other plant proteins, protein in kiwi contain all nine essential amino acids, however, they are a little bit low in leucine.
Histidine OK | 0.027 g | |
Isoleucine OK | 0.051 g | |
Leucine Low | 0.066 g | |
Lysine OK | 0.061 g | |
Methionine OK | 0.024 g | |
Phenylalanine OK | 0.044 g | |
Threonine OK | 0.047 g | |
Tryptophan OK | 0.015 g | |
Valine OK | 0.057 g |
Fat Breakdown
Around 8% of the calories in kiwi are from fat. Kiwi have 0.52 grams or 1% of recommended daily values per 100g.
Saturated fat and trans fat can increase cholesterol levels and increase the heart disease risk.
Kiwi fat content mostly consists of healthy unsaturated fats.
According to FDA, dietary cholesterol should be kept below 300 mg per day. Luckily, kiwi is cholesterol free.
Kiwi do not contain trans fats. Trans fats should be kept as low as possible.
Total Fat | 0.52 g | |
Saturated Fat | 0.029 g | |
Monounsaturated Fat | do not have a %DV | 0.047 g |
Polyunsaturated Fat | do not have a %DV | 0.287 g |
Trans Fats | do not have a %DV | 0 g |
Cholesterol | 0 mg |
Carbohydrate Breakdown
96% of the calories in kiwi come from carbohydrates.
Carbs in kiwi are mostly sugars (61%), followed by fiber and starch.
When it comes to sugars, kiwi are relatively low in sugar, containing grams of sugar per 100g.
Total Carbohydrate | 14.7 g | |
Dietary Fiber | 3 g | |
Sugars | 8.99 g |
Articles related to Kiwi
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Kiwi Nutrients, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168153/nutrients -
Listing of vitamins, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/listing_of_vitamins/ -
Appendix 7. Nutritional goals for age-sex groups based on dietary reference intakes and Dietary Guidelines recommendations. (n.d.).
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-7/ -
International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/114/5/1625/6320814?login=false -
Health Claim Notification for Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Trans Fat, and Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/health-claim-notification-saturated-fat-cholesterol-and-trans-fat-and-reduced-risk-heart-disease -
Nutrient Recommendations: Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI), Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences Engineering, and Medicine
https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/nutrientrecommendations.aspx -
Protein And Amino Acid Requirements In Human Nutrition, WHO
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43411/WHO_TRS_935_eng.pdf -
Nutrition Facts Labeling RDIs Nutrients, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
https://www.fda.gov/media/99069/download -
Nutrition Facts Labeling DRVs Food Components, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
https://www.fda.gov/media/99059/download