5 Things You Must Know about Papaya

1. The papaya is believed to be southern Mexican and Central Amercian in origin and now grows in all tropical and subtropical countries as the plants need warmth throughout the year. These trees may be male, female or bisexual.

2. Papayas are the natural source of papain, an effective natural digestive aid, which breaks down protein and celanses the digestive track. This means less food settles into the metabolism and becomes fat.

3. In addition to aiding in digestiong, papayas are rich in vitamin C, folate and potassium. They are also good sources of fibre, vitamin A, vitamin E, the eye-saving carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, and lycopene. Heartburn patients can eat more papaya to help them in their digestion problem. Read more about Can Papaya Help to Remedy Heartburn

4. Papayas have 33 per cent more vitamin C and 50 per cent more potassium than oranges and have fewer calories. They have 13 times more vitamin C and more than twice the potassium of apples.

5. Slightly green papayas ripen quickly at room temperature, especially if placed in a paper bag. Once they've turned from green to yellow you acn store the ripened fruit in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week, but it's best to use them within a day or two.