Papaya can be hailed as one of the healthiest fruits, which you can eat on a daily basis. Read here to know how it can benefit diabetics and people with heart disease.
Papaya is an incredibly nutritious food that is low in calories and high in fibre
HIGHLIGHTS
- People with type 2 diabetes can benefit by including papayas in diet
- The fruit can be included in weight loss diet
- Papaya can reduce effects of ageing on skin
Papaya is one of the healthiest fruits in existence. Including it in your diet can provide you with the health benefits like reduced risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. What's more, you can include it in your diet if you are trying to lose weight. The fruit is versatile in nature. It can be combined with other foods, which can help in enhancing its flavour. Papaya can be eaten for breakfast along with some yogurt. One can also blend it into a smoothie along with other fruits. The fruit can be consumed as an appetiser as well as dessert.
One small papaya (around 150 gms) is said to have around 3 gms of fibre, 15 gms of carbs, 1 gm of protein, 157 % of recommended daily intake (RDI) of Vitamin C, 33% of RDI of Vitamin A, 14% of RDI of Vitamin B9 or folate and 11% of RDI or potassium.
Also read: These 5 Fibre-Rich Low-Calorie Fruits Will Help You Maintain A Healthy Weight
Let's take a look at some benefits of Papaya
1. Weight loss: Being high in fibre and water content, papaya can aid weight loss. The fruit is also low in calories, which makes it ideal for weight watchers.
2. Improved digestion: Fibre and water content in papayas can also be beneficial for preventing constipation and keeping the digestive tract health. Papain, a digestive enzyme in papaya further helps in improving digestion.
3. Type 2 diabetes: Studies have found that people with type 2 diabetes can benefit by consuming a diet in fibre. It can improve levels of blood glucose, lipid and insulin. Papaya is also full of antioxidants that can reduce oxidative stress in older adults and people with prediabetes.
Papaya can improve blood glucose and insulin levels
Photo Credit: iStock
Also read: 5 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks That Can Help You Beat Hunger Pangs
4. May improve heart health: Antioxidants in papaya can protect your heart and enhance protective effects of good HDL cholesterol. Adding more papaya can improve your heart health.
5. Eye health: Zeaxanthin is an antioxidant in papaya, which can filter out harmful blue light-rays to protect eye health and reduce the risk and progression of age-related macular degeneration.
6. Protects against skin damage: Vitamin C and lycopene have skin protecting and anti-ageing properties. The fruit can reduce the damage caused by free radicals, thus reducing wrinkling, sagging and other skin damage.
The bottom line is that papaya is an incredibly nutritious fruit which can benefit your health in a number of ways. Include it in your daily diet to reduce age-related effects on health and better heart health.
Also read: This Monsoon Fruit Can Help Boost Digestion, Heart Health And Much More: Here's How
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