And the Kiwi-nner Is…

You heard it here first:  Organic fruits and vegetables are not always more nutritious than conventional fruits and vegetables.

There, I said it.  Notice I said not always, though.  Because oftentimes, they are more nutritious.

You can find out more about that fact here, but I want to touch on a more specific example that supports my argument.  And it stems from the one and only kiwi.

Pardon the expression, but the kiwi is no “wee-wee” when it comes to nutrition.  In fact, a perfectly reasonable argument could be made that the kiwi is the most nutritious fruit out there.  Consider the following:

• We all know that bananas are packed with potassium.  But did you also know that kiwis have more? Twenty percent more, in fact.
  
  
• Kiwis have more vitamin C than oranges.  Just one kiwi yields 115 percent of your recommended daily allowance
  
  
• A study out of Rutgers University found kiwi to be the most nutritionally-dense fruit of the “27 most commonly eaten fruits“ tested
  
  
• Lutein, a carotenoid proven to be invaluable in maintaining eye health, is abundant in kiwis.  Only corn beats out kiwis in lutein content
  
  

And that’s among conventionally-grown kiwis.  If it were among organic-grown kiwis, these fantastic fruit facts would be even higher.  I say this because according to a study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, organically grown kiwis registered higher nutrient levels in all aspects compared to those organically grown.

Among the findings, researchers observed higher vitamin C content in organic kiwis (after freezing them), higher antioxidant content, and that “all the main mineral constituents were more concentrated in the organic kiwifruits” over the conventionally-grown kiwi.

In the interest of full disclosure, these kiwis were tested almost straight off the kiwi tree, which is to say that the bioavailability was higher.  The longer any fruit or vegetable is off the vine, the lower its nutrient content.

But the fact remains, kiwis were—and are—more nutritious in organically grown kiwis than conventionally grown kiwis.

So the next time your uncle pulls out the old “Organic is a scam” card, strike back with this 2007 kiwi discovery.  He may not be persuaded to the organic side of the aisle, but at the very least he’ll know the facts are on your side.

Source
foodnavigator.com