Type 2 diabetes is a severe disease that millions of people around the world are struggling with. Diabetes is a condition that impacts the body's ability to create or use insulin properly, causing elevated blood sugar levels. While there is no one-size-fits-all cure for diabetes, making some dietary changes can help to manage the condition and improve overall health. Among these dietary changes, adding papaya may benefit people with diabetes.
Papaya is a popular nutrient-rich fruit with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that may help regulate blood sugar levels and improve overall health. Let's take a closer look at how papaya can help those with type 2 diabetes.
What Is Papaya and Where Does It Come From?
Papaya is a tropical fruit that easily stands out in any grocery store, with its vibrant orange hue and oblong shape.
Native to Central and South America, the native papaya plant has been cultivated and grown for over 4,000 years in the West Indies and Central America. Originally from southern Mexico, by the 17th Century, Dutch and Portuguese colonists brought papaya to Africa.
It was introduced to Hawaii in 1750 by Captain James Cook, who brought Papaya saplings to cultivate there. Today, papaya can be found year-round as it grows across many different countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Thailand, and India.
The most popular variety is Soloween - a Hawaiian papaya that features thin-skinned flesh with a smooth texture and vibrant orange-yellow coloration.
Whether raw or cooked into sauces or salads, papaya makes any meal colorful and nutritious since it is loaded with fiber, antioxidants vitamins A, C, K, and lycopene - an antioxidant that gives its acclaimed deep coloration.
The Nutritional Value of Papaya
Papaya is an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals that benefit overall health and well-being. A single cup of cubed papaya contains:
- Vitamin A - 1442IU
- Vitamin C - 60.9mg
- Vitamin K - 16.4mcg
- Vitamin E - 0.4mg
- Thiamin - 0.2mg
- Riboflavin - 0.1mg
- Niacin - 0.8mg
- Vitamin B6 - 0.2mg
- Folate - 36.5mcg
- Pantothenic Acid - 0.4mg
- Magnesium - 30.2mg
- Phosphorus - 27.8mg
- Potassium - 299mg
- Sodium - 2.9mg
Is Papaya Good For Diabetics?
People with diabetes often have to be careful with their diets, balancing foods that have a low glycemic index (GI) but are also nutrient-dense.
Papaya is one of the foods that can help make this balance easier - it has a medium GI, so it is moderately digested and releases natural sugars more slowly than those at high GI.
In addition, papaya can be used in place of sugar for baking or adding sweetness to dishes, providing the added benefit of avoiding processed sugars.
Although further studies are needed to understand the effects of papaya on diabetes management, preliminary research shows that eating papaya regularly may help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes and non-diabetics.
Therefore, individuals looking to improve their diabetic diet may consider adding papaya to their daily nutrition plan.
How Papaya Can Help People With Diabetes
Papaya can help people with diabetes in different ways. These ways include:
Lowering blood sugar levels:
Papaya is a powerful fruit that can help in managing diabetes by providing anti-diabetic properties and helping to regulate the sugar in the bloodstream. Eating papaya regularly can improve overall health.
Eating unprocessed foods - such as fresh fruits like papaya - is generally recommended for those looking to lower their blood sugars since processed foods are often full of unhealthy fats and refined carbohydrates that can contribute to higher glucose levels.
With its high fiber content and mild sweetness, adding this delicious fruit to your diet could make managing your diabetes much easier!
Increasing insulin sensitivity:
Improving insulin sensitivity is essential for helping individuals with diabetes regulate their blood sugar effectively. Eating foods that contain beneficial antioxidants and fiber can help the body utilize glucose from food intake.
Papaya is one such food, as it includes both components in a single serving.
Natural antioxidants are thought to inhibit glucose uptake and discourage the absorption of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. This, in turn, helps the body use insulin more effectively and keeps glucose levels from spiking too high.
Regulating digestion:
Papaya has long been hailed as one of nature's best solutions for digestion-related ailments. Boasting high amounts of fiber, eating papaya helps to regulate digestion and improve the body's overall digestive performance.
It can help minimize the risk of common issues, such as constipation and bloating, after eating a meal - particularly if certain dietary restrictions are followed.
For those with diabetes, papaya is an ideal choice; research studies have shown that constipation is common in patients with diabetes and that proper fiber intake can counter this issue.
Reducing cholesterol:
Eating papaya is a simple, straightforward way to benefit heart health and reduce cholesterol.
This is particularly important for people with diabetes since they are more prone to high cholesterol levels than those without it.
Papaya contains phytosterols, which are plant compounds that have been shown to selectively bind cholesterol molecules, preventing them from being absorbed by the digestive system and allowing them to be excreted from the body instead.
This reduced cholesterol intake reduces the amount that builds up within our circulatory system, leading to better cardiovascular health.
Tips for Adding More Papaya to Your Diet
There are many ways to add papaya to your diet. Here are some tips for doing so:
- Purchase ripe papayas, and either eat them fresh or use them in salads, or other light dishes.
- Try using papaya when baking bread or cakes for a sweet twist on traditional recipes.
- Dice up papaya and add it to your favorite salsa recipe for a tangy flavor.
- Make papaya juice by blending the flesh with some water.
Adding more papaya to your diet is an easy way to take advantage of its potential health benefits, especially when managing diabetes.
Recipes That Include Papaya
While I grew up eating papaya as a fruit, in parts of West Africa, papaya can be used in stews or cooked with meats. Additionally, papaya can be pickled or made into jams and preserves.
In countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon, papaya can be used in various stews and cooked with meats. One popular dish is "Papaya Chicken Stew" or "Papaya Beef Stew," where papaya is stewed along with chicken or beef, typically with a mix of spices, tomatoes, onions, and sometimes chili peppers for added flavor.
There are plenty of delicious recipes that include papaya. Here are some other ways that I have found that people enjoy papaya:
- Papaya and Carrot Salad: This light, refreshing salad pairs crunchy carrots with sweet papaya for a tasty side dish. (This is one of my favourite Thai salads!)
- Spiced Papaya Smoothie: Enjoy this creamy smoothie as a breakfast treat or an afternoon pick-me-up.
- Papaya and Coconut Bread: This sweet bread is perfect for breakfast or an after-dinner snack.
- Grilled Papaya Skewers: These easy skewers are a great way to enjoy papaya flavors without added sugar.
FAQs
How Much Papaya Do I Need to Eat?
The recommended serving size for papaya is one cup, which contains approximately 55 calories. Depending on your individual needs, you may adjust your serving size and number of servings per day.
Are There Any Side Effects?
In most cases, there are no known side effects associated with eating papaya. However, if you have a known allergy to papaya, it is important to avoid eating it.