Papayas are a rich source of antioxidant nutrients like carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids, vitamin Bs and pantothenic acid, and minerals like potassium and magnesium. These nutrients promote overall good health.
The carotene and vitamin A help keep your eyesight normal. The vitamin A – along with vitamin C – that are so prevalent in papaya help fight infection and disease by strengthening your immune system. Perhaps this is why the great Christopher Columbus called them “the fruit of the angles.”
One thing you must do, however, is choose organic papayas. When fruits are genetically modified they lose a lot of the nutritional value they once held.
Choosing a Non-GMO Papaya:
- Look for Kapoho (or Kapoho Solo) papayas. They have a yellowish flesh
- Most hybrids and GMO-papayas have pink flesh and should be avoided
- The Mexican Red (red flesh), Caribbean Red, Maradol, Royal Star (red flesh), Singapore Pink (bright orange flesh), Higgins papaya (bright yellow flesh).
- Most papayas from Mexico and Belize are non-GMO.
- The majority of papayas grown in Hawaii are Genetically Modified.
After you’ve chosen a non-GMO papaya, you’re ready to get it’s health benefits, like vitamin E for your skin. Vitamin E supports collagen production and beta carotene smoothes away wrinkles, leaving your skin super healthy looking.
Papayas also have anti-cancer properties due to the fiber binding to cancer-causing toxins in the colon. Also, because of the high fiber content, papaya is helpful for keeping your bowels happy and regular.
“The Fruit Of The Angles”
There is something else that this fruit offers that not many other fruits offer. The seeds of the papaya plant are packed with anti-amoebic and anti-gut-parasite nutrients.
A study of Nigerian school children who were infected with stomach worms, amoebas, and the like, were given small doses of papaya seed extract for only one week. The seed extract cleared out 75 percent of the offending bacteria. Papaya seeds give general gastrointestinal health, but getting rid of unwanted intestinal dwellers is what they’re really known for.
Most people won’t want to eat papaya seeds on their own and some people have an allergic reaction to the seeds. It’s fairly rare, but it still could happen. A good idea to introduce the seeds into your diet is to make a papaya shake:
Papaya (Seed) Shake:
Take one tablespoon of fresh papaya seeds, and throw them into a blender. Ensure the seeds are thoroughly chopped up.
Add natural yogurt or coconut water.
Now cut off about a third of the papaya, and chop it up into chunks. You can use less if you want.
Now, take a quarter cup of pumpkin seeds, and put them on top.
**Pumpkin seeds also contain powerful anti-parasitic enzymes, so including them in your shake to really shake things up!
You may wish to add in some other tasty fruits as well: fresh pineapple, coconut, mango, banana. In fact, you definitely want to add some healthy, delicious fruits to your concoction to liven up the taste.
Something you probably didn’t think of adding but should: cloves. A small handful of fresh cloves will eradicate parasite eggs living in your gut.
Now blend. Blend it well so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Any bitterness in the seeds will be mixed into the great tasting, healthy fresh fruit that you added. This shake effectively – and deliciously – helps with stomach and intestinal problems.