Let’s get started with a quick quiz question.

Which of the following is NOT true about kiwifruit?

A) It contains no cholesterol

B) It contains little fat and sodium

C) It contains high levels of fibre

D) It contains a high number of calories per 100g

And the answer is…D! All of the other answers are reason why kiwifruit helps support cholesterol levels and good cardiovascular health in general. Intrigued to know more? Keep reading…

Benefits of kiwifruit for cardiovascular health

Fruits and vegetables have long been associated with improved cardiovascular health. Kiwifruit in particular could provide your body with a host of benefits. To start with, this little powerhouse of a fruit contains carotenoids, vitamin C, and vitamin E – all nutrients that may lower the risk of heart disease¹. In particular, some studies show that kiwifruit could be effective at reducing risk factors such as high blood pressure^2,3.

But what about the relationship between kiwifruit and cholesterol? Don’t worry, we’re getting to that!

How kiwifruit can help reduce cholesterol

Before we begin, a little reminder of the science behind cholesterol. There are two types – the ‘good’ (HDL) and the ‘bad’ (LDL). For optimum heart health, the goal is to choose foods that reduce the bad stuff whilst boosting the good. Different studies have found that the consumption of kiwifruit can increase the good, heart-protective HDL cholesterol^4,5. This could be due to its polyphenol and vitamin C content, but it could also be due to the fact that kiwifruits are naturally rich in dietary fibre*.

* Zespri^TM Green kiwifruit contains 4.3g of fibre per 100 kcal.

Why the dietary fibre in kiwifruit is good for cholesterol

There are two sources of dietary fibre that we need in our daily diets: soluble and insoluble. Both of these are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The soluble fibre is also linked to moderately lower cholesterol levels. And guess what? Kiwifruit contains both kinds!*

*The ratio of soluble to insoluble fibre is approximately 1:4 in Zespri^TM Green kiwifruit and 1:3 in Zespri^TM SunGold^TM kiwifruit.

Incorporating kiwifruit into your diet

In most of the studies mentioned above, participants consumed two kiwifruit a day. That’s easy to do when you think about it! In the next section of this blogpost, we’ll take a look at some tasty recipes that all include kiwifruit. You can have one or two kiwifruit in the morning for breakfast, pop a couple into a smoothie, or experiment with adding them to a more substantial lunch or dinner. And of course, let’s not forget – kiwifruit is also great for snacking on throughout the day!

Healthy recipes with kiwifruit

If you are looking to lower your cholesterol, you want to look for ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and olive oils. We’ve chosen these healthy kiwifruit recipes for exactly that reason – they all contain ingredients that have been linked to lower cholesterol levels. 

Flexitarian bowl: lentil salad with kiwifruit, apple, red cabbage, sunflower seeds, and chicken

This light lunch or dinner is packed full of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and seeds. Aside from tasting glorious, it also looks stunning on the plate. Have you heard the term “eating the rainbow”? It means making sure you include a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables in your diet. This dish certainly achieves that!

Click here to discover the full recipe.

Coconut, kiwifruit and pistachio stuffed dates

Like kiwifruit, dates are a superfood high in potassium, fibre and vitamin C. These tasty little snacks are a wonderful combination of sweet and savoury – we love to pop a couple in an airtight container and take them for an impromptu picnic. You can also swop the dates for figs or apricots…get creative!

Learn how to make stuffed dates here.

Gazpacho-style with kiwifruit smoothie

This is a smoothie for the adventurous at heart! Gazpacho is a type of soup that is often enjoyed on a Mediterranean diet. This smoothie is ‘Gazpacho’ style because it contains the key ingredients of the popular soup: tomatoes, onion and garlic. And yes, we’re suggesting you add kiwifruit to the mix. It’s certainly not a traditional smoothie, but it is a heart healthy one!

Find the full ingredient list and method here.

Additional tips for heart health

Many nutritionists recommend following a Mediterranean diet for optimum heart health. The good news is that all the recipes above fit into this category – for one, they are all contain Zespri^TM kiwifruit! But what we eat is not the only predictor of cholesterol levels or cardiovascular health. Other elements of our lifestyle are also important. The World Health Organisation recommends the following⁶:

• Stop smoking
• Reduce salt in the diet
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Engage in regular physical activity (more on this below!)
• Reduce alcohol consumption

Maintaining an active lifestyle

As we have seen, taking regular exercise is one of the key lifestyle changes that can contribute to good cardiovascular health. That’s not to say you have to transform from a sofa sloth into a gym bunny overnight. Taking small steps to a more active lifestyle can bring a host of cardiovascular benefits – even getting off the bus just one stop early can make a difference! The trick is to increase the effort by a small amount every day.

Other dietary strategies

You may think you have to remove all foods high in cholesterol to improve your heart health. But the cholesterol in the foods we eat (dietary cholesterol) has very little impact on the levels in our blood. As one example, eggs are relatively high in cholesterol, but they are considered extremely nutritious and good for our bodies. What’s more important is consuming foods that are low in saturated fats. That means consuming healthy fats from sources such as olive oil, nuts and seeds. You can also introduce more fibre-rich foods in your diet – aside from fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes are an excellent choice.

References:

1. Aune, D., Keum, N., Giovannucci, E., Fadnes, L. T., Boffetta, P., Greenwood, D. C., Tonstad, S., Vatten, L. J., Riboli, E., & Norat, T. (2018). Dietary intake and blood concentrations of antioxidants and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer, and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 108(5), 1069–1091. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy097
2. Svendsen, M., Tonstad, S., Heggen, E., Pedersen, T. R., Seljeflot, I., Bøhn, S. K., Bastani, N. E., Blomhoff, R., Holme, I. M., & Klemsdal, T. O. (2015). The effect of kiwifruit consumption on blood pressure in subjects with moderately elevated blood pressure: a randomized, controlled study. Blood pressure, 24(1), 48–54.
3. Karlsen, A., Svendsen, M., Seljeflot, I., Laake, P., Duttaroy, A. K., Drevon, C. A., Arnesen, H., Tonstad, S., & Blomhoff, R. (2013). Kiwifruit decreases blood pressure and whole-blood platelet aggregation in male smokers. Journal of human hypertension, 27(2), 126–130. https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2011.116
4. Recio-Rodriguez, J. I., Gomez-Marcos, M. A., Patino-Alonso, M. C., Puigdomenech, E., Notario-Pacheco, B., Mendizabal-Gallastegui, N., de la Fuente, A.deL., Otegui-Ilarduya, L., Maderuelo-Fernandez, J. A., de Cabo Laso, A., Agudo-Conde, C., Garcia-Ortiz, L., & EVIDENT Group (2015). Effects of kiwi consumption on plasma lipids, fibrinogen and insulin resistance in the context of a normal diet. Nutrition journal, 14, 97. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-015-0086-0
5. Richardson, D. P., Ansell, J., & Drummond, L. N. (2018). The nutritional and health attributes of kiwifruit: a review. European journal of nutrition, 57(8), 2659–2676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-018-1627-z
6. https://www.who.int/health-topics/cardiovascular-diseases#tab=tab_1