Papaya

When it comes to eating healthy, one of the first categories of food I gravitate toward is fruit. I am sure this fact is likely the result of fruit being sweet - fruit satisfies my sweet tooth in obvious ways that other healthy foods don't. So I have to admit that as you read this blog, you are not going to see many fruits on here that I haven't embraced or at least tried. As a side note, I have been getting a lot of flak from my mom because she says I'm making her look bad by talking about the food I was raised on. So, I have to give props to mom because she always had fruit in the house when I was young. This entry, however, is a limited exception to the general nature of my exposure with fruit. Papaya is one of those fruits that I never experienced growing up, and up until a couple days ago, I had never even tried it. And really, it's not all that surprising. First, papaya has always seemed like a "luxury" fruit, like mangoes or pomegranates - expensive and difficult to find. Second, because it is a "luxury" fruit, you don't really encounter it in social situations and it can be more difficult to find good quality specimens of it.

So on Friday night, we were at Costco, and I wanted to get some mango. Mango is a food that I have only been acquainted with over the past year, and I will probably address the fine qualities of this five star fruit in an entry of its own in the future. I usually buy the pre-cut mango because let's face it - it is WAY easier to make fruit or vegetables part of your life if everything is already done for you. The only problem was that Costco had two packages of the pre-cut mango left, and the mango slices in both didn't seem very ripe. Next to the two packages of pre-cut mango, however, were loads of pre-cut and packaged papaya. I asked Bo what papaya tasted like, and he said that it tasted like mango. So I figured, what the heck, and decided to opt for papaya as my fruit for the week. Now it took some time, but we managed to find a package that looked fairly ripe.

So when we got back to the house, I tried a slice of the papaya. I just wanted a taste, as we were about to eat something else for dinner, and my papaya had to last me for the week. My first impression was that Bo was wrong. Apparently, he doesn't eat papaya much either because it didn't taste anything like mango. In fact, there really wasn't much of a taste to the papaya at all. It was definitely ripe, but it just wasn't sweet like a mango. But, I resolved to try again later. So today I brought papaya for my mid-morning snack. It has a soft and some-what mushy texture. It has a lot of juice, with a consistency similar to watermelon and an appearance similar to cantaloupe. It has a much subtler sweet taste when compared to say a ripe mango or ripe strawberry. It seems to have a higher water content, but that is pure speculation on my part. I have to admit that it is definitely not a favorite fruit of mine. But, I wouldn't describe it as unpalatable either. It sort of reminds me of my experience with mushrooms - it has no taste, but the nutrients it offers are impossible to pass up.

So speaking of, what are the nutritional benefits of papaya? Like mango, papaya is a five star fruit. One of the biggest benefits of the orange-colored papaya is the presence of carotenoids, including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are great for eye health. The fruit also has the antioxidant beta-crytoxanthin, which has been shown to reduce the risk of lung and colon cancers. This antioxidant has also been shown to reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, which runs in my family. Papaya is a good source of Vitamin C and has a good amount of fiber for good digestion and lower blood cholesterol. Papayas are the only natural source of papain, which is an effective digestive aid because it breaks down protein and can serve as a digestive cleanser. The papain combined with the high amount of fiber makes this a great food to eat for digestive health.

In light of such great nutritional benefits, I am not giving up so quickly on this wonderful fruit. I'm also not prepared to write off the taste of papaya either. I am sure it is a fruit that can benefit from integration with other fruits in, say, a fruit salad or something of that nature. Plus, word on the street is that the taste of papaya is greatly improved by squeezing lime juice onto it. I'm going to try that, and will update this entry with my findings tomorrow.

Some fun facts about Papaya:

1. The papaya plant is really an overgrown herb that resembles a tree, and although it is now grown worldwide, it is believed to have originated in Mexico and Central America. 
2. The center of the papaya is packed with small, round, black seeds that are edible. They have a peppery flavor, which can make them a great addition to salad or salsa or blended into sauces or salad dressings.
3. Papaya is not only valuable as a food source; it can used for medicinal purposes as well. It is marketed as a tablet to treat digestive problems, and fermented papaya flesh can be applied topically for the treatment of cuts, rashes, stings and burns. Apparently, Harrison Ford was treated for a ruptured disk he incurred while filming Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with papain injections.

Sources:

1. 101 Healthiest Foods: A quick and easy guide to the fruits, vegetables, carbs and proteins that can save your life, Dr. Joanna McMillan Price and Judy Davie (2009).
2. Wikipedia - Papaya
3. Harrison Ford & Papaya
4. Papaya Nutrition Facts