Papaya is well-known for a bunch of different benefits: weight loss, source of nutrients, and keeping your health overall. Enriched with many health benefits in every bite, papaya is also known for its fresh, sweet taste that is hard to resist. It is a popular fruit snack in the middle of a hot summer day. On top of that, papaya is available to be consumed all year long! If you are currently aiming for a fit and healthy body, you can include papaya in your healthy diet. Papayas can be consumed first thing in the morning on an empty stomach or as a snack after a long day at work. Not only that papaya benefit you inside, but some benefits are linked to healthier skin, mood, and aging prevention. Here are the amazing health benefits of papaya that you can include in your daily, balanced diet:
1. Delicious with Low Calories
Ripe papaya has a sweet, melon-like taste that everybody just loves. The texture is soft and juicy, providing you with healthy treats that taste amazing. The best part is that papaya is also low in calories, making it perfect for daily consumption as part of a weight-loss program! One small papaya contains around 60 calories. While papaya is known for its natural sweetness, papaya contains low sugar content and glucose levels. This means that diabetic patients can consume papaya to suppress their foods craving. Those who don’t have diabetes can also consume papaya regularly to prevent diabetes.
The taste of papaya varies depending on how it is served. The best way to serve papaya is to make sure that it is ripe optimally. Overly ripe papaya and unripe papaya may have different tastes. Chilling papaya is also recommended as the coldness adds flavor to each bite. Moreover, the taste of papaya can be combined with other foods as well to complement one another. This is why papaya is popular as one of the ingredients for fruit and vegetable smoothies! However, while papaya can be consumed raw when ripe, unripe papaya should be cooked as it is high in latex.
2. The Nutritional Value
The soft tropical fruit does not only come with bright, beautiful yellowish-orange color but also with loads of nutrients. Papaya contains dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K. vitamin C and A are particularly high in papaya. Papaya also contains healthy antioxidants that are known to be absorbed better into the body more than other fruits and vegetables. Vitamin A can help you to protect vision, especially due to aging. Papaya also contains papain enzyme, which is used to tenderize protein in the meat before cooking. Papain has a lot of benefits, including easing period pain in women, which also helps regulates and easing the flow of the period as well.
3. Improve Digestion
Papaya has a high water content which stimulates your bowel activity by improving your digestion. This means that papaya helps lower the risk of colon cancer. This is also one of the reasons that make papaya a good addition to your weight loss program. Being a good source of fiber, papaya can help you stay full longer throughout the day. You can reduce your daily calorie intake by consuming papaya. Healthy digestion also helps reduce bloating, making your stomach appears flatter. Papaya contains numerous enzymes that help improve digestion. These enzymes help break down foods which leads to a healthier digestion system. Sometimes, we might find ourselves consuming foods that are bad for our bodies. Therefore, consuming papaya can help to cleanse that out as well.
4. Antioxidant Effects
During metabolism, our body creates free radicals, which can lead to disease. The antioxidants found in papaya can neutralize them and reduce oxidative stress. This is due to the lycopene content that papaya has. Fermented papaya also has a lot of benefits, including highering the reduction of oxidative stress. In conclusion, papaya has a lot of benefits that could lower one’s risk of several diseases, including Alzheimer’s.
5. Anticancer Properties
The lycopene in papaya may reduce the free radicals in our bodies. These free radicals can also contribute to cancer. This means that papaya can also reduce the risk of cancer or slowing down cancer. The antioxidants, flavonoids, and phytonutrients in papaya are linked to having good effect in human’s body as it reduces the risk of prostate and colon cancer.
6. Immune Booster
Boosting immune is very important to help your body fight illnesses. With all the nutrients brimmed in papayas, consuming papayas can give a boost in your immunity. The Vitamin C in papaya is sufficient for you to get your daily recommended intake. Moreover, a study shows that consuming enough vitamin C could help with stress hormones. Having several bites of papayas can help enlighten your mood after a full day of study or work!
7. Heart and Kidney Protector
The lycopene as well as vitamin C found in papaya, is good for your heart by enhancing the effects of good cholesterol. A study found that consumption of fermented papaya leads to a better ratio of good and bad cholesterol. The buildup of cholesterol in your arteries can lead to heart disease. This means that papaya may help to protect your heart from the risk of heart disease, including hypertension and heart attack. Moreover, papaya contains potassium that cleans out the toxin in the kidney.
8. Healthier Skin
Papaya helps you to get a healthier body, but it doesn’t stop there. Papaya also helps your skin looking healthier as well! The nutrients and antioxidants that papaya has helped protect skin and reducing the signs of aging, such as wrinkles, sagging skin, sun damages, and other damages that may happen to the skin as you get older. Wouldn’t we love to stay young forever? Incorporating papaya in your daily intake can help to prevent signs of aging. With the rich nutrients, powerful antioxidants, and amazing taste, there is no reason for you not to add this healthy and delicious tropical fruit into your daily diet!
