Still have questions?
Talk to one of Vitacost's friendly customer service representatives using Chat Live:
Best to buy
Papaya is delicious all summer long. Choose a ripe fruit that is soft, yellow, and free of black spots. Store in the fridge for about a week. Green, unripe papayas may be thinly sliced for salads or cooked like winter squash.
Cut & clean
Rinse under cool water and cut in half. Remove flesh to use in fruit salads or purée into a thick juice. Quick tip: Papaya skin is not edible but its seeds have a peppery taste and can be crushed or left whole and sprinkled on salads.
Power food
Papaya is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of folic acid.
A tropical snack
Halve a ripe papaya, remove the seeds, and scoop out the fruit with a spoon. Eat plain or dip into creamy vanilla yogurt for a deliciously simple, healthy snack.
Green, or unripe, papayas may be cooked like winter squash. Ripe papayas are terrific eaten plain or with a dollop of yogurt. Simply cut in half and remove the seeds; the flesh is tender enough to be scooped out with a spoon. Although papaya skin is not edible, its seeds are. Papaya seeds resemble large peppercorns and also have a peppery taste. They may be crushed and sprinkled on salads in the same way as crushed peppercorns. Left whole, they make an interesting garnish for a fruit salad. Add papaya to fruit salads or purée into a thick juice.
There are about 50 varieties of papayas, many of which are inedible and not sold commercially. Some varieties weigh up to 20 pounds (9 kg) while others average 8 ounces (227g). Most common commercial varieties, such as the Hawaiian Solo, are on the small side. Papayas with reddish flesh have a taste that differs from that of the orange-fleshed types, which are sweeter. The babáco, a natural papaya hybrid from Ecuador, is often canned or made into jam, but is also good eaten fresh.
Papaya, 1 cup (cubed) (140g)
Calories: 55
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: 14g
Total Fat: 0g
Fiber: 3g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin A (1,531.60IU), and Vitamin C (86.52mg)
*Good source of: Folic Acid (53.20mcg), Potassium (359.80mg), and Vitamin E (1.02IU)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.
Copyright © 2007 Healthnotes, Inc. All rights reserved. www.healthnotes.com
Learn more about Healthnotes, the company.
Learn more about the authors of Healthnotes.
The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires September 2008.
