Kiwi fruit benefits for pregnant women may amaze you, especially if you’re not familiar with this strange looking, but wonderful fruit.
When pregnant you quickly feel you’re no longer eating for one as your unborn child naturally puts extra demands on you physically and emotionally.
That’s why its so important to obtain the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals for you and your baby.
Native to China, the brown furry fruit happens to be one of the most densely nutritious foods in the world and is the perfect super-food to add to your diet.
Below are some of the kiwi fruit benefits pregnant women can enjoy:
A Good Source Of Folic Acid
Folic acid is also known as vitamin B9 and is a member of the important vitamin B complex family.
Folic acid is very important during pregnancy because of its role in developing your unborn babies brain and central nervous system.
As an expectant mother a lack of folic acid in your body can increase the risk of your baby developing a birth defect.
For this reason, taking folic acid is especially important during the first trimester. During this period your babies brain, spinal chord and nervous system are beginning to form.
Folic acid also helps your body produce red blood cells, which are essential for energy production and energy – which you’ll definitely need when pregnant.
In fact, one serving of kiwifruit provides you with 10% folic acid making it an excellent source. Broccoli, leafy green vegetables and liver are also good sources, however cooking destroys folic acid. That’s why kiwifruit is one of the best sources you can get .
A Source Of Iron and Calcium
The kiwifruit contains iron and calcium – two important minerals women need during pregnancy.
Iron is a component of haemoglobin which is needed to produce red blood cells. Iron is also required to transport oxygen between cells which is essential for energy production.
A common condition affecting pregnant women is iron deficient anaemia caused by a lack of haemoglobin in the blood. With anaemia the body isn’t producing enough red blood cells and this can make you feel tired and listless.
Other symptoms include;
- pale skin
- sore tongue
- lack of appetite
Iron deficiencies are often caused by a lack of folic acid and the extra demands on the body for more nutrients, including iron to cope with pregnancy.
To replenish your reserves of iron eat a varied diet of iron rich foods including meat, cereals, spinach and of course the kiwifruit which provides 4% of iron per serving.
Calcium is essential for developing your unborn baby’s strong bones, teeth, muscles and a healthy heart. If your diet is lacking in calcium, your baby will have to draw calcium from your bones, making them weaker.
Dairy products are well known to have high levels of calcium, however a magnesium deficiency actually reduces your body’s ability to absorb calcium.
Kiwifruit contains 5.5% calcium, not as high as milk or yogurt, but a lot higher than most other fruits. Furthermore, kiwifruit contains magnesium, which improves your absorption of calcium.
Unlike diary products, kiwifruit is a low fat and healthier way to boost your calcium levels.
A Highly Rich Source Of Vitamins
Most fruits are rich in one specific nutrient. For example, you have the orange which is rich in vitamin C or the banana which is rich in potassium. However, the kiwifruit is special because it’s abundant in several nutrients.
In fact, the kiwifruit has twice as much vitamin C (helps with iron absorption) as the orange and more potassium (promotes healthy nerves) than the banana.
What’s more, the kiwi also contains high levels of vitamin E an essential vitamin more commonly found in seeds and limited to the high calorie avocado. Vitamin E is a powerful an antioxidant that protects you and your babies cells from damage.
The kiwifruit has twice as much vitamin E as the avocado,but without the calories and is also a rich source of minerals including copper, manganese and chromium.
All these nutrients packed into the small and compact kiwifruit will only benefit the pregnant mother.
More Kiwi Fruit Benefits For Pregnant Women
The key to a healthy pregnancy depends greatly on a balanced digestive system as this ensures you absorb the nutrients needed for your babies growth.
In addition, a diet rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber is essential to give you and your baby the best start.
The best way to obtain these foods is by eating plenty of fresh, organic vegetables, fruits and whole grains – and as you’ve learnt – the kiwifruit ticks all these boxes.
There’s also another key nutrient, recently discovered by various scientific studies, that has a beneficial affect on the digestive system. This nutrient is called a prebiotic.
Prebiotics are carbohydrate fibers found in raw fruit and vegetables. When ingested, prebiotics travel through the colon where they ferment and feed your probiotic bacteria.
Probiotic bacteria are essential for a healthy digestive system, however they have a key weakness – they are not self supporting. Without the nutrients prebiotics provide, probiotics are vulnerable to disease causing bacteria that can easily overrun your digestive tract causing intestinal infections and disorders.
Fortunately, the kiwifruit comes to the rescue as its rich in prebiotics. But if that wasn’t enough, this super fruit is bursting with many other digestive health boosting nutrients.
Kiwifruits provide a rich source of dietary fiber which is essential for keeping the bowels regular and your colon free of harmful bacteria and toxins.
What’s more, kiwifruit provides antioxidants and anti-bacterial bioactives that kill the pathogenic microbes lurking in your gut.
Last but not least – the kiwifruit is rich in digestive enzymes.
These enzymes are vital for breaking down foods into smaller molecules. This enables your digestive system to absorb more efficiently the nutrients you and your baby needs
Mother Natures Superfood
As you can see the kiwifruit is one of mother natures super-foods. Adding this amazing fruit to your diet can help give your baby the best start in life.
To gain the most out of these benefits it’s suggested that you eat 2 to 3 kiwifruit a day. Now, over a 9 month period that works out between 540 and 810 kiwifruit a day.
I know what your thinking – that’s a heck of a lot of fruit. Where are you going to find the time to shop and eat all this fruit – not to mention the increasing costs of fresh organic fruit these days.
Thankfully, there’s an alternative. Kiwi Klenz an all natural prebiotic supplement is made entirely from premium grown New Zealand kiwifruit and provides a more convenient way to enjoy the kiwi’s health benefits during your pregnancy.
Its good to know that Kiwi Klenz has no additives, chemicals, fillers or bulking agents its just 100% pure kiwifruit – making it safe for you and your baby.
Due to its high concentrations, one easy to swallow capsule provides the same nutritional value of 2 whole kiwifruit. This makes Kiwi Klenz a cost effective option to keep you and your little one healthy.
If the thought of eating 800 kiwifruit during your 9 months pregnancy isn’t appealing to you, why not take a closer look at Kiwi Klenz today.