Who would have thought that a little green fruit with fuzzy brown skin would help your heart big time?

But it's true. Eating lots of kiwifruit is like putting a tag team of heart helpers on your cardio-health case. Here's why.

It's in Your Blood
Kiwifruit appear to put the kibosh on artery-clogging plaques in two ways: They help lower triglyceride levels, and they reduce platelet clumping. The platelet effect could be particularly good for your ticker: Although platelets aid in blood clotting, when these cells stick together too much, it could set the stage for a heart attack or stroke. (How high or low is your heart attack risk? Find out here.)

Head of the Class
There's plenty of heart-helping nutrition in kiwifruit to explain these positive impacts. You may be surprised to learn a kiwi has more vitamin C than an orange, beats bananas for potassium, and is chock-full of vitamin E and magnesium. (Does your diet have enough of these essential nutrients? Find out by filling in this online daily-diet questionnaire.)

Dive In
Kiwifruit are easy to eat. Just slice one in half and scoop out the insides with a spoon, like you would a melon. Want to get creative with kiwifruit? Try this Banana-Kiwi Salad.

Effects of kiwi fruit consumption on platelet aggregation and plasma lipids in healthy human volunteers. Duttaroy, A. K., Jorgensen, A., Platelets 2004 Aug;15(5):287-292.

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