Recipes · Sick-Day Food
Green Kiwifruit Bowl
Reader ratingsTwo ripe green kiwifruit, peeled and sliced over plain yogurt: the amount used in constipation trials, in a soft, cool bowl that is easy to eat when things have slowed down after illness, medicines or days in bed.
Safety
- Kiwifruit is a well-known food allergen. It can cause itching or swelling of the mouth and throat, hives and, rarely, anaphylaxis, and people allergic to latex, birch pollen, banana or avocado can react to it. Stop eating it if you notice any symptoms, and choose the Warm Prune Compote instead.
- Kiwifruit can sting a sore mouth or throat, so save this bowl for when your throat has settled. It contains vitamin K, so if you take warfarin, keep your portions steady and tell your prescriber before making it a daily habit.
- Seek care for constipation with blood in the stool, black stools, unexplained weight loss, severe or worsening belly pain, vomiting, a swollen hard belly, or being unable to pass stool or gas. New constipation after age 50, or constipation that lasts longer than 3 weeks, also needs checking. For a baby or young child, ask the pediatrician before using foods to treat constipation.
- Start with one kiwifruit if you are prone to loose stools or cramps, and skip this bowl entirely if you have diarrhea.
Why it’s good for you
Kiwifruit is a good source of vitamin C and fiber, and one of the few whole foods whose effect on bowel function has been tested in randomized trials.
Evidence
Moderate evidence
Some human trials or consistent observational data; not yet settled.
In an international crossover trial of 184 adults, who also took psyllium for 4 weeks, eating 2 green kiwifruit a day for 4 weeks was followed by about 1.5 to 1.7 more complete spontaneous bowel movements a week in people with functional constipation or constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, along with better abdominal comfort. In a small, partly randomized US trial of 79 adults with chronic constipation, 2 kiwifruit a day, 100 g of prunes or 12 g of psyllium all increased bowel movements, and kiwifruit had the fewest side effects. Both trials were short, and the larger one was funded by Zespri, a kiwifruit marketing company, so treat the results as promising rather than settled.
General information from research and traditional use — not medical advice, and not a treatment for any condition. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, check with your clinician first, and seek care for symptoms that are severe or do not improve.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slice off both ends of each kiwifruit, slide a large spoon between the skin and the flesh, and turn the fruit to pop the flesh out in one piece.
- Slice the flesh into rounds or half-moons. The small black seeds are edible and part of the fruit, so leave them in.
- Spoon the yogurt into a bowl, top with the kiwifruit, and eat it at breakfast or as a snack. In the trials, people ate two kiwifruit a day for 4 weeks.
Tips
- Use the whole fruit, as in the trials. Kiwifruit juice has not been tested.
- Unripe kiwifruit is hard and sour. Ripen it in a paper bag with a banana for a day or two, then keep ripe fruit in the refrigerator for a few days.
- Plenty of fluids and a short walk each day help too. For another food with trial support, see the Warm Prune Compote.
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