Passersby at the supermarket usually ignore the humble papaya. Little do they know that by avoiding this fruit, they’re missing out on a piece of their salvation. If you’re struggling with any kind of stomach or intestinal disorder, papayas cannot be beat.
Papaya is the number-one fruit for digestibility. Each papaya contains more than 500 powerful digestive enzymes that support the pancreas, aid digestion, and mend the walls of the intestinal tract, reducing inflammation and preventing scar tissue from forming there.
| PRIMARY MICRO NUTRIENTS | Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Folate, Potassium |
| SECONDARY MICRO NUTRIENTS | Copper, Magnesium |
| NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS and NOTES | Papain more concentrated when fruit is unripe |
| FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS | Used for treating dysentery, indigestion, mucus excesses, and the pain of rheumatism |
| PHYTONUTRIENTS | Papain
Papaya also contains carpaine, a compound providing anti-tumor activity. |
| CHINESE MEDICINE | Neutral thermal nature; sweet-and-bitter flavor; tonifies the stomach; acts as a digestive aid; moistens the lungs and alleviates coughing. |
| NOTES |
|
| RDA | Papaya | % RDA | ||
| Nutrient | Unit | per 100g | ||
| Water | g | 88.06 | ||
| Energy | kcal | 43 | ||
| Protein | g | 0.47 | ||
| Total lipid (fat) | g | 0.26 | ||
| Carbohydrate, by difference | g | 10.82 | ||
| Fiber, total dietary | g | 1.7 | ||
| Sugars, total | g | 7.82 | ||
| Minerals | ||||
| Calcium, Ca | mg | 1000 | 20 | 2.0% |
| Iron, Fe | mg | 8 | 0.25 | 3.1% |
| Magnesium, Mg | mg | 420 | 21 | 5.0% |
| Phosphorus, P | mg | 700 | 10 | 1.4% |
| Potassium, K | mg | 470 | 182 | 38.7% |
| Sodium, Na | mg | 8 | ||
| Zinc, Zn | mg | 11 | 0.08 | 0.7% |
| Copper, Cu | mg | 0.9 | 0.045 | 5.0% |
| Manganese, Mn | mg | 2.3 | 0.04 | 1.7% |
| Selenium, Se | µg | 55 | 0.6 | 1.1% |
| Vitamins | ||||
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | mg | 90 | 60.9 | 67.7% |
| Thiamin | mg | 1.2 | 0.023 | 1.9% |
| Riboflavin | mg | 1.3 | 0.027 | 2.1% |
| Niacin | mg | 16 | 0.357 | 2.2% |
| Pantothenic acid | mg | 5 | 0.191 | 3.8% |
| Vitamin B-6 | mg | 1.7 | 0.038 | 2.2% |
| Folate, total | µg | 400 | 37 | 9.3% |
| Choline, total | mg | 6.1 | ||
| Betaine | mg | |||
| Vitamin B-12 | µg | 2.4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Vitamin A, IU | IU | 5000 | 950 | 19.0% |
| Vitamin E, total | mg | 15 | 0.3 | 2.0% |
| Vitamin D | IU | 600 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | µg | 120 | 2.6 | 2.2% |
The Recommended Dietary Amount (RDA) is based upon recommendations for a 40 year old very active man that I have adapted from USDA’s Dietary Intake Recommendations: http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/. Using this link you can make your own calculationsNotes:
Adapted from:
Murray, M. (2005). Encyclopedia of Healing Food. New York, N.Y.: Atria Books
USDA food database: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/
Other information sources:
Online database of the World’s Healthiest Foods: http://www.whfoods.com/index.php
Online nutrient breakdown of foods: http://nutritiondata.self.com/
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