The papaya, papaw or pawpaw is the plant Carica papaya, one of the 22 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae. Its origin is in the tropics of the Americas, perhaps from Central America and southern Mexico.
The papaya is an incredibly healthy tropical fruit. Papayas grow in tropical climates and are also known as papaws or pawpaws. Their sweet taste, vibrant colour, and the wide variety of health benefits they provide make them a popular fruit. The papaya, a previously exotic and rare fruit, is now available at most times of the year.
It’s loaded with antioxidants that can reduce inflammation, fight disease and help keep you looking young.
It’s almost impossible to discuss all the health benefits of a super fruit like the pawpaw in a short episode, a tropical fruit loaded important antioxidant properties, one that also contains a wide range of health promoting phytochemicals. Pawpaws are rich in vitamins, dietary fiber and carotenoids that increase in concentration as the fruit ripens. Papaya also contains two main proteolytic enzymes, papain and chymopapain, which are involved in protein digestion and thus a good side or dessert when eating protein rich meals such as meat or fish. In fact, all parts of the pawpaw plant exhibit various medicinal properties as many research investigations have revealed.
In her YouTube video this week, Ayo Elizabeth Olaogun;a certified Nutritionist and fashion entrepreneur based in Austria, gives some insights on paw paw and how to add them to your daily meals.
This video features the rich antioxidant, vitamin enriched, and anticancer properties of paw paw, a fruit that should be included in everyone’s diet for its multifaceted actions and health-enhancing properties. This episode also shows you easy ways to eat paw paw and why you should
- Ayo started the video by sating the benefits of the compounds in Papaya.
- The compounds in papaya can help in preventing the sickling of red blood cells, it also possesses Antihelmentic properties which helps in expelling parasitic worms from the body and these same compounds contain Anti – diabetic and Anti-hypertensive properties
- Papaya also has a compound that reduces cholesterol
- Did you know that papaya contains anti-microbial, anticancer and wound healing properties?
- The Paw Paw plant is rich in its seeds, leaves, the latex, the bark, the roots and everything about it – The papaya plant is an all-round blessing!
- Papaya is so rich in medicinal properties that several researches has been conducted on the plant around the world in search of a cure for some ailments and diseases. A super plant indeed!
- She then went ahead to demonstrate how you can eat your papaya via 3 meals
- Papaya can be mixed with other fruits such as oranges, lemons etc to make a papaya smoothie. She demonstrates with ingredients, how to make this smoothie on the video above.
- It is rich in vitamins A, B, C, dietary fiber and carotenoids and other dietary benefits.
- Papaya can be mixed with other fruits and vegetables such as spinach or watermelon, to make a fruit or vegetable salad. She demonstrates this in the video above with ingredients and recipes.
- Another way you can enjoy the super food is if you make a “Paw Paw Beef Dish”. This includes vegetables, pawpaw, beef and other ingredients. Recipe and ingredients are in the video above
Papaya is also great for hair because it contains vitamin A, a nutrient required for sebum production, which keeps hair moisturized. Vitamin A is also necessary for the growth of all bodily tissues, including skin and hair
You are encouraged to try any of these meals with mangoes and write us your experience!
About the Writer
Ayo Elizabeth Olaogun is the founder of Eat Right Africa and the Creative Director of popular fashion brand, Ayo Van Elmar. The trained nutritionist started the Eat Right Africa initiative “because she could no longer do nothing with her long acquired knowledge and initial professional background as a nutritionist.” Eat Right Africa aims to ignite a positive change in the mental attitude of Africans towards food and health.