Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Maybe you’re bored of bananas, apples and grapes and need a fresh produce pick. A
nutrient-rich serving of kiwi fruit may be just what you need. A serving of kiwi fruit (2 kiwis) has
twice the vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana and the fibre of a bowl of
whole grain cereal—all for less than 100 calories!
The fuzzy fruit is sky-high in both soluble and insoluble fibre, both of which are essential for
promoting heart health, regulating digestion, and lowering cholesterol levels—that’s a winning
trifecta. Kiwi fruit has also been considered a ‘nutritional all-star’, as Rutgers University
researchers found that kiwi fruit has the best nutrient density of 21 commonly consumed
fruits.
Along with vitamin C, kiwi fruits are rich in many bioactive compounds that have antioxidant
capacity to help to protect against free radicals, harmful by-products produced in the body. If
you want clean energy, think of kiwi fruit because they’re rich in magnesium, a nutrient
essential to convert food into energy.
A kiwi fruit also doubles as a peeper-keeper by supplying your eyes with protective lutein, a
carotenoid that’s concentrated in eye tissues and helps protect against harmful free radicals.
Kiwi fruit is also packed with blood pressure-lowering potassium. In fact, a 100-gram serving
of kiwi fruit—that’s about one large kiwi—provides 15% of the Recommended Daily Allowance
(RDA) of potassium.
Kiwi fruit has been growing in New Zealand for over 100 years. Once the fruit gained in
popularity, other countries started to grow them including Italy, France, Chile, Japan, South
Korea and Spain. At first, kiwis were referred to as ‘Yang Tao’ or ‘Chinese Gooseberry’, but
the name was ultimately changed to kiwi fruit so that everyone would know where the fruit
came from.
A ripe kiwi fruit will be plump and smooth-skinned, and free of wrinkles, bruise, and punctures.
If you find that your kiwi is a little too firm after buying it, simply let it ripen at room temperature
for three to five days. The firmer the fruit, the more tart it will taste. To speed up the ripening
process, you can also place kiwis in a paper bag with an apple or banana. The kiwi will ripen
in a day! If you want to store the fruit longer, you should keep it in a plastic bag in the
refrigerator.
What has been referred to as a triple achievement of the kiwi fruit?