Did you know that papaya has lots of nutritional benefits including helping digestion and reducing the risk of cancer? Not only is it delicious, but it can help your body in all kinds of ways! Here are 18 great reasons why you should put papaya in your diet:
- Papaya helps to get rid of acne and skin infections as it helps to open clogged pores.
- It contains enzymes that help prevent oxidization of cholesterol, which in return helps to prevent heart attacks.
- The seeds of papaya too possess medicinal properties. They are very good in treating intestinal worms in the body.
- Papaya contains anti-inflammatory enzymes that help in relieving pain for those who are suffering from arthritis, edema, and osteoporosis, and it also possesses anti-cancerous properties that can help prevent cancer.
- Papaya is rich in enzymes called papain and chymopapain, which helps with digestion, particularly it breaks down the proteins from the food we eat into amino acids.
- Papaya has been found to be very effective in the treatment of chronic inflammation. People suffering from conditions made worse by inflammation such as asthma or rheumatoid arthritis have found that the nutrients in papaya relieve their symptoms.
- Papaya fruit is also rich in many essential B-complex vitamins such as Folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin, and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that the body requires them from external sources to replenish and play a vital role in metabolism.
- Papaya is a rich source of essential nutrients, especially beta-carotene, lutein, zea-xanthin, and cryptoxanthin, as well as hundreds of others not even yet discovered. Carotenes are known to protect the body from lung and other cancers.
- The antioxidants found in Papaya help slow down the aging process by providing your body with lots of free radical scavengers.
- Papaya, along with all fruit contains zero cholesterol, and the high content of fiber will also help lower high cholesterol levels.
- Due to the high water content, ease of digestibility and high content of soluble fiber, this allows the proper functioning of bowel movements and helps to prevent constipation. (If you don’t have at least 1-2 Bowel Movements per day, then you can consider yourself constipated) Improving the elimination time of food, in addition to papaya’s folate, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and vitamin E, can help reduce the risk of colon cancer.
- Papaya helps in keeping eyes bright and protected. Papaya is a source of beta-carotene along with carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin that protects against high intensity blue light and reduces the onset of age related macular degeneration (AMRD). It is also found to help against cataract.
- Papaya is known for its low sugar level and is an antioxidant source. Insulin production is not triggered by the intake of papaya. Thus a diabetic should consume this tasty and nutritious fruit to fight against diabetes.
- Papaya extracts are used in shampoos as it helps curb dandruff and is beneficial for hair.
- Papaya is a source of vitamin-A and vitamin-C, thus cold, flu, nausea and morning sickness can be prevented by papaya intake.
- It is low in calories and high in nutritional values. Hence, it is a good food for those who want to lose some weight.
- It helps in controlling the menstrual irregularities in women. Papaya helps to ease menstrual cramps and helps in promoting regular flow of menstruation.
- As it has anti-proliferative effect on liver cancer cells it stops or slows down the growth of the cancer cells of the liver and helps in its cure.
