Eating This Fruit Daily Can Improve Your Sleep & Gut, Research Shows
While kiwis are small and unassuming, they always seem to overdeliver on taste, quality (I’ve had plenty of bad berries in my life, but never a bad kiwi), and nutritional value. Research suggests that eating one to two kiwis a day can have a pretty meaningful impact on your health.
If you tend to forget about kiwis until they show up in a fruit salad, consider this your reminder to give them a more permanent spot in your routine.
They’re rich in vitamin C
Oranges tend to get all the credit for vitamin C, but kiwis actually hold their own (and then some).
One kiwi contains roughly 60–70 mg of vitamin C, which is comparable to a medium orange. Since a typical serving is two kiwis, you’re looking at well over 100% of your daily vitamin C needs in one sitting.
That matters because vitamin C does a lot more than support your immune system. It also plays a key role in collagen production (think: skin, joints, and connective tissue) and acts as a powerful antioxidant to help counter everyday oxidative stress.
They support digestion
Kiwis are great for digestion because they provide both fiber and digestive enzymes1.
Two kiwis provide around 4 grams of fiber (soluble and insoluble), which can help:
- Keep things moving through your digestive tract
- Support stool consistency
- Feed beneficial gut bacteria
Just eat them with the skin on to get the most fiber from them! A quick rinse and a gentle scrub can help the texture be a bit more appealing. Our favorite fiber supplement actually has green kiwifruit in it and provides 6 grams of fiber per serving.
Kiwis also contain an enzyme called actinidin. This enzyme helps break down proteins in the stomach, which may improve overall digestion and reduce feelings of heaviness after meals.
They can help you sleep better
That’s right. Kiwis are the bedtime snack you didn’t know you needed.
One small study found that people who ate two kiwis about an hour before bed for several weeks experienced improvements in both sleep onset and duration.
So what’s behind this effect?
RELATED READ: 4 More Fruits That Can Help You Sleep
The takeaway
Ready to add more kiwis to your routine? I love dicing a kiwi and adding it to a yogurt bowl or chia pudding. You can also throw them in a smoothie, or eat as a snack before bed (maybe with some almonds for magnesium and an added fiber boost).