Papaya

Papaya is a fruit that grows on a large herb, not a tree. Let me explain because this information is new to me too.

A tree builds wood, and building wood takes years. The wood is what makes a tree strong enough to stand for decades. A papaya plant does not build a woody trunk. What looks like a trunk on a papaya is a stem.

Because a papaya plant does not grow wood, it grows tall fast. The plant puts its energy into growing tall and making fruit instead of into building a strong structure that can last longer. A papaya can grow six feet in its first year and can produce fruit in under a year from a seed. In comparison, a citrus tree can take five or six years to produce its first fruit.

The trade for the papaya plant producing its fruit in less than a year is that fruit production lessens after about three years. Growers may plant new seeds rather than keep an older plant that produces less. Also, a papaya can be knocked over in a storm because there is no wood holding the plant up.

Papaya comes in different varieties, so the color of the fruit’s flesh and the shape of the fruit change depending on which plant the papaya came from.

There are two papaya plants on the property where I live. I can stand under the trees and look up at the fruit hanging. I have to stand on a chair to pick the fruit.

What a papaya provides your body

Papaya provides your body with vitamin C, folate, potassium, fiber, and water. Papaya is mostly water, which means eating papaya is one way your body becomes hydrated.

The color of the papaya flesh comes from antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants are compounds that protect your cells from damage. Orange papaya flesh gets its color from beta carotene, the same compound that makes a carrot orange. Red and pink papaya flesh gets its color from lycopene, the same compound that makes a tomato red.

The enzyme in papaya

Papaya contains an enzyme called papain. An enzyme is a substance that causes a change to happen. The change papain causes is breaking apart protein.

The papaya plant makes papain in a milky liquid, and the highest amount of papain is in the skin of unripe fruit. As the papaya ripens, the plant produces less papain. Unripe green papaya is firm enough to shred into strips, which is why green papaya salad is made with unripe fruit. I often eat papaya salad made by a family who sells it at the farmers market.

Papain is what makes papaya useful for tenderizing meat. The papain breaks apart the protein in the meat, which makes the meat softer before cooking. Papain is one of the enzymes used in meat tenderizer powders sold in stores.

The seeds

Papaya seeds are edible. I like to eat a small scoop of the seeds every time I get to eat a whole papaya. The seeds taste more like a spice, with a sharp and peppery flavor.

Papaya seeds contain papain and a second enzyme that breaks apart fat. The seeds also contain antioxidant compounds that are different from the ones in the papaya flesh.

I have been told not to eat too many papaya seeds at one time. I feel comfortable and confident eating a small scoop of papaya seeds when I eat them.

Eating papain and unripe papaya is not advised for women who are pregnant.

I like to eat papaya with yogurt, in salads, in a smoothie, or by itself.

You are welcome to eat papaya.

Stacy 🌺

Information in this post comes from my learning and research.

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I share my experiences and my perspective. Eating and healing look different for everyone. If you are struggling with food or your relationship with your body, please find support. You don’t have to do this alone.