The green, rough overlarge fruit hides its real beauty on the inside where black jewel-like seeds adorn its glowing orange pulp. The sweet and musky fruit with butter soft consistency is so amazing that it is difficult to categorise it under skin care or health care specifically. Apart from beguiling taste, the fruit comes with such a big bag of benefits that it seems impossible to go without adding its slices in the everyday diet.
Monikered as the "Fruit of the Angels" by Columbus, the tropical fruit provides an excellent supply of folate, potassium, fibre, and antioxidants, especially Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Just by adding papaya in your fruit tray you can fulfil the amount of Vitamin C your body requires each day.
1. Papaya for Skin: Exfoliate and repair
Papaya contains Vitamin A that works as an anti-oxidant and its rejuvenating enzymes exfoliate you skin giving it an angelic glow. The fruit supports direct anti-ageing action reducing wrinkles and spots. Adequate intake of vitamin C, which papaya can provide, is needed for the building and maintenance of collagen, which provides structure to skin while moisturising it deeply. Lycopene in papaya assists in metabolic functions related to growth and repair.
2. Papaya for good health: Heart friendly nutrition
Papaya tree was considered sacred by Mayans for its various medicinal properties. It is loaded with nutrients and fibre that make heart and body healthy.
a) Heart Health
Papaya prevents cholesterol build up in the arteries thus preventing heart strokes for it contains Vitamin C and Vitamin E and antioxidants like beta-carotene and Lycopene that help in oxidation of cholesterol in your arteries.
b) Diabetes
People with Diabetes love papaya for its sweet taste with low sugar content. It also prevents diabetes because of its rich fibre content.
c) Improves digestion
Papaya contains the powerful digestive enzyme papain that helps in breaking down proteins acting as a catalyst in better digestion. It is also used as a meat tenderizer commercially.
3. Papaya for weight loss: Goodbye muffin top!
Fruits add bulk to our diet and prevent weight gain for they are very low in calories. The fibre content in papaya will leave you feeling full and it also eases up your bowel movements making the weight loss all the more easier.
4. Papaya for Hair: Conditions and prevents split ends
The fruit is enriched with folic acid that helps in hair growth by improving circulation to the hair follicles. Papaya is a natural hair conditioner and can be combined with honey and coconut milk for silky, smooth locks. For rough and brittle hair with split ends team up the fruit with olive oil and honey for once a week hair mask to achieve healthy hair as because of its anti-fungal properties papaya also aids in treating dandruff and scalp infections.
