When you think about papaya fruit you probably think of somewhere warm and tropical, with fruity drinks sporting umbrellas. That’s because papayas are native to Central America but have been brought over to other sub tropical places throughout the 20th century, including Hawaii, where they are most commonly associated. Papayas are known to be sweet and juicy fruit, but did you know that besides being delicious papaya also has many health benefits? Papaya contains many helpful vitamins and minerals including carotenes, vitamin C, vitamin B, folate and panthothenic acid, potassium, copper, and fiber. These nutrients help the body all the way from colon health to skin care, which is why papaya is a great way to boost your healthy lifestyle (Whfoods).
Digestive help
One of the most prominent health benefits of papaya, and the one that I exploit the most, is its help with digestion. Papaya fruit contains an enzyme called papain which aids with digestion.
Papaya Enzyme can be found at your local drug store
Because papain is mostly concentrated in papaya before it is ripe, the enzyme is actually extracted from the fruit and made into a dietary supplement. This is a great supplement to take when you aren’t feeling well after eating. If you ate too much and are bloated, or if your food doesn’t agree with your stomach, take a dose of papaya enzyme, take it easy for a few minutes, and you should be feeling better. Papaya enzyme is a great supplement for people with chronic digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome because of the papain (Whfoods). However, ripe papaya still contains enough papain to gain some results. It’s not an unpopular act for people in tropical areas where papaya is grown to have a piece after a meal in order to help digest their food.
Papaya is also great for pregnant women as the papain helps to reduce nausea and morning sickness (MedIndia).
Papain also helps treats sport injuries, trauma, and allergies as the enzyme works to also lower inflammation and improve healing (Whfoods).
Colon Help
It’s not surprising that with papaya helping with digestion it would do a lot to help with the colon overall. The fiber found in papaya has been shown to be able to bind to toxins in the colon that can cause cancer. This binding keeps the toxins away from healthy colon cells and decreases your chance of developing cancerous cells in your colon. The folate, vitamin C and E, and Beta carotenes also help to increase colon health and decrease risk of cancer development (Whfoods).
Menstrual Irregularities
Because of its help with digest and its anti inflammatory aid, papaya can help to ease menstrual cramps. Papaya can also help to create a more regular cycle (MedIndia).
Skin care
Papaya is great for the skin! Not only is it full of good vitamins when ingested, but it can also be used as a face mask or face pack to help soothe your skin, especially on your face. It helps to clear acne as well as helps to unclog pores. Papain helps to dissolve dead skin cells leaving fresh and clean skin left over, and its anti inflammatory properties can help reduce redness and inflammation on the face.
Papaya also can help topically to heal wounds and burns (MedIndia).
Other Help
Papaya is a great booster to the immune system because of the vitamin A and vitamin C. That means that papaya can help decrease chances of catching the cold and flu. Papaya can also help with arthritis, osteoporosis, and prostate cancer prevention (MedIndia, Whfoods).
If you want some more information on the current research being done on papaya and its health benefits, check the articles in the sources at the end of this post. There’s a lot of very interesting articles out there about the research efforts for this natural remedy.
Have you ever tried papaya to help with digestion or another health problem? What other foods do you know help with health problems? Let me know what other foods you want to learn about in the comments below.
Until next time,
Kat
Sources:
Health Benefits of Papaya. Med India. http://www.medindia.net/patients/lifestyleandwellness/health-benefits-of-papaya.htm#ixzz3XKoLaceL
Papaya. The World’s Healthiest Foods. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=47
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