I never considered kiwi as having laxative properties.

Yet another lesson learned on PR.
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"-55F, a new record low? Nope, thermometer went bad. Looks like -50F still stands"

Kiwi is a great natural meat tenderizer. I haven't looked it up to see, so I'm not sure if the enzymes in it are similar to those in papaya, but I sure wouldn't eat too much of it if they are.

One thing I do know is that kiwis are believed to have blood-thinning characteristics similar to aspirin and are supposed to help reduce heart attack risk. If that's the case, anyone with a history of ulcers or intestinal bleeding might want to avoid jumping on the kiwi laxative bandwagon and stick to high fiber / psyllium husk alternatives.

As for me, I'm going on a heavy carrot/white rice regimen for a few days for a post-New Year's blowout. My abdomen is already all kinds of distended, and my waist size is up about an inch right now, so I know there's a hot time in the old town on the horizon. The forecast calls for about 15 inches of the finest coiled round the bowl in the morning, right after I down a 24 ounce cup of cheap convenience store coffee.

I hate to steal a slogan, but I'm lovin' it!

(And may I pay tribute to the crack janitorial service that cleans our office bathrooms each night? I'm always the first one in every day, and that toilet is as clean as the day it was manufactured. I use the seat liners out of habit, not necessity! A huge, roomy stall, beautiful gray and burgundy wall tile, subdued, recessed lighting.....if only the rest of the day could be as soul-satisfying as the first five minutes....)

I apologize for the digression above!

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Livin' La Vida Caca!

HAH! i ate 6 or 7 kiwis one night in hopes of getting rid of constipation and possibly lose the gigantic distended abdomen i have... I pooed, yes, but no greater than my average. But then, I did eat a bag of prunes once with no noticeable difference..

I think I must have a stomach of steel since I've been trying to eat stuff that would give me the runs for the past few weeks, but to no avail. 4 cups of Activia, plums, salads... anyone have any suggestions?

BS - glad you said all this!! I'm just the same! Pure fresh orange juice (with bits) helps me a little! But it's about the whole diet picture really - fibre, pulses, etc! Also try Feiyan tea. Supposed to be a slimming aid, but has laxative properties. Worked for a friend of mine,

RM, white rice will bind you up. It's definitely on the list of causes of constipation. BTW, the jury is still out on bananas as to whether they cause or help constipation.

BS, if you really want relief from constipation, might I suggest that go to your local Mexican grocery store and get some Agua de Sierra Caca from the natural spings of Tijuana, complete with all of the minerals and other restoratives. A couple of bottles of this stuff and you'll understand why it's called the "Warrior Drink of Montezuma".

"Hecho en Mexico" es numero uno.
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Yo quiero Taco Bell.

I can swear by Kiwis..I have a history of constipation..anyway, I eat 2 kiwis a day and that guarantees poop everyday.

Be careful of the Swiss Kiwis. It contains Casacara Sagrada, and Senna.

Both substances, if taken for extended periods of time, will cause laxative dependancy (lazy bowel).

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"Two percent of the population think; three percent of the population think they think, and 95 percent of the population would rather die than think."

I've never found kiwis to be particularly shit loosening, and I eat them regularly. As Dave said above, you eat enough of one fruit and you're bound to get the shits from it, though. Most fruit (or any food) will loosen the bowels in large amounts because of the sugar.

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Beware the shitticane. Election, 2008.

I go to an accupuncturist on a regular basis and her #1 cure for constipation is a kiwi 1st thing in the morning with a tall glass of room temperature water. Take these two items before you eat anything else in the AM and you'll be pooping like a champ. My mother had a serious issue with constipation for years and has been on the kiwi kick for almost a year now and has been going on a regular basis...the constipation is gone.
I am currently pregnant and taking pre-natal vitamins, which contain iron and make you constipated, I've been doing the kiwi and water thing for almost three months now and am going regularly again and still taking the vitamins.
The key is to take them first thing in the AM with plenty of water!! It will take about two or three days to kick in (for some it's immediate), but trust me it works!! I swear by it!

I'm with you on Kiwis. Not only are they absolutely delicious, they're little health bombs containing more vitamin C than oranges, lots of potassium, antioxidents, and they do make you poo magnificently, it has to be said.

You do have to be careful with them though. The skin is extremely irritating to swallow, so even a minute amount can have your gut doing a polka. On he plus side, those little black seeds pass through the gut virtually undigested so I would recommend that you eat them accompanied by a large bowl of porridge oats. An excess of oats has a fabulous effect on the stool, so instead of that warm chestnut brown that we all love so much, it's a paler beige colour. The kiwi seeds are really obvious against such a light background, providing a wonderful attractive speckly effect.

In fact, this is inspiring me to fix myself some porridge and a couple of kiwis right now...mmm...

I do most of the cooking in my home and love to try new things. I have never heard of kiwi being used as a meat tenderizer but plan on trying it tonight. I did a Google search and found that the reason it makes a good tenderizer is because it contains an enzyme called actinidin. I love Korean bulgogi so I shall model my marinade after that delicious
treatment of flesh. I will combine soy sauce, kiwi paste, garlic, cayenne, and a dash of sesame oil. I shall place two sirloin strip steaks in this mixture for a few hours and then under the broiler they shall go.
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Eat chilies and feel the burn!!

Well, several hours have passed and I have eaten my kiwi marinated steak. It was delicious and even though it was a tender steak to start with it was made even more tender by the enzymes in the kiwi and the flavor was wonderful. Next time I will try a cheaper cut of meat and see what the results are.
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Eat chilies and feel the burn!!

Well, Chief, I learn something new every day.
I wasn't quite sure if what Americans refer to as "kiwi" is the same thing that we refer to as "kiwifruit". I had to check the Wackypedia, and sure enough, there it was!
I've never heard of using them as marinade, either, but by golly, I'll give it a go.

Irony- Checking a website that deals with what comes out, and accidentally finding out about what goes in!
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The white zone is for loading and unloading only- FZ.

Thanks for the tips. I'll try marinating my meat in kiwi paste next time. Should be less work than beating it.