Keep Your Kids Energized with Kiwifruit
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Health & Lifestyle
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Did You Know
We all want our kids to grow up healthy, strong and ready to leave their mark on the world. To do that, they'll need plenty of energy! And one way you can keep your kids energized and active is by feeding them healthy meals and snacks. Yes, we know that's easier said than done.
But with Zespri Kiwifruit, you won't need much convincing to get your little ones hooked. After all Zespri Kiwifruit is full of flavor, packed with nutrients and teeming with personality.
Five Ways Kiwifruit Adds Vitality to Kids
Kids are a big bundle of energy in a tiny package. In that way, they are just like Zespri Kiwifruit. In fact, until we can bottle a child's energy and sell it, our kiwifruit is the next best thing! Here are five reasons why Zespri Kiwifruit is the perfect food for growing children.
Helps Boost the Immune System
Zespri kiwifruit is exceptionally high in vitamin C. One serving of SunGold kiwifruit contains more than three times as much vitamin C than an orange.
A serving of Zespri Green kiwifruit clocks in at 261 mg per serving, which is more than double the amount of vitamin C in a large orange!
This important vitamin not only plays an important role in keeping immune cells healthy to help fight against infection, but can also reduce the severity and duration of symptoms of the common cold!
*Read more: Fend Off the Flu with Zespri Kiwifruit*
Helps Ease Digestion and May Help Regulate Blood Sugar
A great way to keep your kid's tummy running smoothly is to feed them a diet rich in fiber. Kiwifruit is a good source of dietary fiber. Not only that, but kiwifruit contains a natural enzyme unique to kiwifruit, actinidin, which helps the body digest proteins found in meats and dairy.
Helps Regulate Blood Sugar Levels
Zespri Kiwifruit is an excellent option for people with prediabetes or diabetes trying to manage blood sugar levels and weight due to its low glycemic index and high fiber.
How? When eaten, kiwifruit fiber attracts water so that it swells and thickens like a gel. When kiwifruit is digested, with a meal, foods move more slowly through the gel. Nutrients, like carbohydrates, are broken down into their smaller sugars. This results in sugar being taken up at a reduced rate into the blood, and energy is delivered more slowly. This means the level of sugar in your bloodstream does not go too high or low. It also helps avoid the feelings of tiredness and hunger between meals.
If you're looking to help prevent sugar spikes — and subsequent sugar crashes — then Zespri Kiwifruit is the perfect snack for your kids!
Helps with Muscle Recovery
Our body needs potassium — especially if you're active. Potassium helps keep the body hydrated and maintain muscle function. And since most kids enjoy a healthy bit of "rough and tumble," it's important that they get plenty of potassium.
When most people think of foods with high potassium content, they think of bananas. But as we discussed before, Zespri kiwifruit contains almost as much potassium as a banana. More, in the case of our tropical SunGold!
| Bananas | Zespri Green | Zespri SunGold |
| 1 serving size | 1 serving size | 1 serving size |
| 422 mg | 462 mg | 510 mg |
Helps Fights Disease
Zespri Kiwifruit is absolutely filled to the brim with powerful antioxidants that help the body stay healthy and strong. Our SunGold kiwifruit are not only a great source of vitamin C and fiber, but also a good source of vitamins E and K, which protect the body against harmful pathogens.
Zespri Kiwifruit is also a good source of folate. Folate is also one of the B-vitamins needed to make red and white blood cells in the bone marrow and convert carbohydrates into energy. This is why you need a lot of folate during adolescence.
Folate is important for expectant parents, too! Folate is essential for cellular growth and development, forming red blood cells and infant growth during pregnancy. As cooking destroys folate, fresh kiwifruit is a good source of folate compared to cooked green vegetables. During pregnancy, it can be difficult to meet daily folate requirements, but Zespri Kiwifruit contains 31.0-38.2 μg per 100 g of edible flesh, making it a useful complement to folate supplements in pregnant women.
Four Ways to Get Kids Excited About Kiwifruit
Kids can be picky eaters. Some parents might say their kids simply have discerning tastes. Either way, it amounts to the same thing: getting kids to eat healthier can be tricky.
But it's certainly not impossible.
We have plenty of delicious kiwi recipes for kids. But if you find you need a bit more help getting your kids to eat healthier, here are four of our best tips.
Be Fun
Healthy doesn't mean boring. When you're trying to get your kids to eat healthier foods, try making it as fun as possible. One great way to do that is to get your kids involved. But not just in deciding what to eat. Get them involved in making the meal with you!
Our Kids Kiwifruit Cone uses ice cream cones, dipped in melted white chocolate. Have your kid help you with the cones. Under your supervision and guidance, this could be a great way to get your child involved in the meal-making process — and with their own healthy eating!
Be Colorful
Kids love bright things. That's what makes kiwifruit the perfect ingredient with any recipe. Kiwifruit not only adds zest and vitality to a meal, it also adds plenty of color. In fact, we've talked before about how you could combine kiwi with other fruits to make the absolute perfect kiwi fruit salad.
This is why something as simple as our three-step Berry Kiwifruit Syrup can be so effective! Turn any plate of pancakes or bowl of oatmeal into something way more colorful.
Be Creative
Integrate Zespri Kiwifruit into meals your kids are already used to. That could be as simple as adding sliced kiwifruit into their breakfast oatmeal. Or making Kiwi-Chipotle Ketchup for them to dip their chicken fingers in.
Or turn a familiar food over on its head! Your kids love pizza? Make a "kiwi and fruit pizza" using graham crackers and a creamy topping, like peanut butter. Then sprinkle your kids' favorite fruit, like grapes, oranges and sliced Zespri Kiwifruit on top.
After all, associating healthy foods with other foods that your kids like will help ease them into eating healthier — and loving it!
(Looking for other great pairings for SunGold kiwifruit? Visit our Facebook page and search for #sungoldpairing to find more wonderful kiwi pairings! You're certain to find two or three options that your kids will more than love.)
Be Smart
You might need to introduce your kids to kiwifruit slowly over time. You can even do so without them even knowing it! Use Zespri Green kiwifruit as a marinade for chicken or as a tenderizer steaks and chicken. With a kiwi-infused marinade, your kids can get familiar with the flavor of kiwifruit, if you're not already.
*Read more: Tenderize & Marinate Meat with Green Kiwifruit.*
Be Consistent
One thing we can't stress enough: be persistent and consistent. Most kids need a stable routine in life. That includes meals. Try incorporating these tips every day. We have a lot of quick kiwi-inspired kids recipes to try for every meal — from breakfast to dessert. Any one of them would be great to get your kids down the path of eating that's healthy and fun!
And it doesn't have to be anything complex. Something as uncomplicated as Kiwi Sailboats would be perfect for maintaining consistency, even on the days when time is scarce. Cut a SunGold kiwifruit in half and use it as the base of the boat. Choose your favorite cheese for your sail and set off to tummy satisfaction!
Be a Role Model
Remember: your kids look up to you. You're their superhero. Kids model a lot of their behavior from what they see their parents doing. Send a message to your kids with the foods that you are eating.
Snack on sliced kiwifruit at the park. Reach for SunGold Kiwifruit instead of potato chips while watching T.V. Treat yourself to Zespri Kiwifruit, and your kids will follow suit.
