Food Facts: Papaya

Papaya is a tropical fruit that’s low in calories and high in folate, fiber, vitamins A and C. Papaya is often eaten raw as a refreshing snack, an addition to a salad, salsa or smoothie and it even makes a great juice. Beyond the deliciousness and nutritionally dense profile, papaya contains additional compounds that enhance the body’s general health.   

BENEFITS OF PAPAYA 

Digestion

Since papaya is high in fiber, it’s a great option to help constipation and get the bowels moving. 

Papaya also contains the enzyme papain. Enzymes help break down amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins. Papain is a particularly distinctive enzyme in that unlike other enzymes, it doesn’t need acid to work. It’s known as a meat tenderizer because even without acid, it continues to break down proteins so that they can be absorbed and used properly by our bodies. 

Viral Infections 

The papaya’s skin is potent in papain and is used around the world to help treat rashes, bug bites and burns as well as viral and fungal infections of the skin. The papain helps break down the proteins that surround these infections, killing them and stopping them from spreading. 

Inflammation

Papain also helps with inflammation, especially for people who suffer from diseases like arthritis. Decreasing inflammation is important because it has a direct correlation to slowing the progression of this chronic disease. 

Papaya is also packed with beta-carotene which helps reduce the risk of asthma, an inflammatory disease affecting the airways. 

Immunity

Papaya is packed with vitamin C. It’s one of the fruits with the highest amounts and one papaya provides approximately 200% of your daily requirements. The potency of vitamin C makes papaya a great choice to help boost immunity.    

Aging

Papaya is great for the skin and aging process. Papain is often associated with good skin because it helps reverse visible signs of aging.  Since papaya is high in flavonoids and vitamins A and C, it assists in keeping the skin healthy and helps slows down the wrinkle process. It also contains antioxidants which prevent free radicals and oxidative damage, key causes of aging. 

Heart Health 

The high levels of vitamin C found in papaya also help protect our heart health by reducing the ability for cholesterol to form plaque in our arteries. Moreover, vitamin C operates as an antioxidant by neutralizing and inhibiting free radical damage. This is important because free radical damage can lead to many diseases making papaya is a great choice to help keep your body healthy.    

Vision

Beta-carotene is responsible for the orange coloured flesh of the papaya.  It’s an important nutrient because it’s converted into vitamin A and protects the eyes health and preserves vision. 

Papaya also has high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and the flavonoids in present in papaya have been known to help prevent macular degeneration or vision loss due to age. 

Anti-Cancer Properties

As you now know, the papaya fruit contains many compounds such as papain, vitamin C, beta-carotene and fiber, all of which have been associated with helping to prevent the risk and spread of certain cancers.  

You can know when a papaya is ripe when the skin is orange and it’s a little bit soft when you touch it – that’s when it’s the sweetest. I’ve recently been incorporating a lot of papaya into my diet especially to make sure I am getting my share of vitamin C which is so important right now to ensure my immunity is strong.