Last Updated on May 4, 2023 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD
As a diabetic, it is mandatory to include healthy changes in life. Be it your daily meals, day to day diet options, or even healthy food choices. Everything needs a little bit of extra attention and care.
Fruits that are usually classified as healthy and nutritious additions to one’s diet can also be questionable when you have been diagnosed with his chronic metabolic condition.
Today, we will talk about one such very common and otherwise healthy fruit – the Papaya. We will discuss…
- Is Papaya safe for diabetes?
- What is the Glycemic Index of Papaya?
- What are the nutritional elements and their composition in Papaya?
- What are the Health Benefits of eating Papaya?
So let us find out more about this fruit and its effects on one’s diabetic health. Here we begin.
What is Papaya?
Papayas are long yellowish-orange fruits that grow on trees belonging to the Caricaceae family. They are known for their sweet fruity smell and taste.
It is hollow and filled with seeds in the center of the fruit. They are usually orange or peach in color on the inside. They are juicy as well as fleshy fruits that are packed with many nutrients.
This is a tropical fruit that is used as a vegetable when unripe and green. When ripen, the fruit turns orange in color and sweeter and is thus consumed as a fruit.
Be it as a vegetable or a fruit, the papaya is a great addition to your grocery list. It is easily available in a lot of places.
The nutrients available in papaya make it a very versatile fruit. Further in the article, we will discuss the advantages of this fruit on one’s overall health and body.
Is Papaya Safe for Diabetes?
To answer this common question directly would be – Yes! Papayas are safe and often considered great fruits for diabetic patients.
Diabetes, as a metabolic ailment, can hamper one’s food intake. Be it fruits or vegetables. Among the many fruits, several fruits are to be avoided by diabetic patients because of the higher sugar content.
But coming to Papayas, they do not have to be debated much. They are low in sugars and filled with other beneficial nutrients that can prove to be health benefitting.
Consuming higher sugar or carbohydrate foods can cause abnormal and unhealthy rises in blood glucose levels. This, in turn, can lead to further health problems and related risks in the body.
But Papaya is not a fruit that can lead to diabetic harm in the body. It is a recommended low sugar substitute for many other fruits. Moreover, it is also lower in calories and carbs. All in all, the nutritional composition of papaya does not cause any discomfort for someone with diabetes.
It makes a wonder fruit for diabetes patients. You can even add this fruit to your low-sugar fruit salads, have a serving of papayas as a diabetic snack option, or add more minerals and antioxidants to your overall meal by consuming papayas on the side.
Eating papayas are great as they are low carb fruits and also low in fats. Overall, these qualities keep the heart safe and healthy and maintain blood pressures, cholesterols, body glucose levels, etc.
The fiber availability in papayas is an excellent agent to keep the diabetic effects and blood sugars under control. Fiber keeps the digestion process in check and avoids any extreme rises or falls in the blood sugar levels.
On top of that, the presence of several antioxidants also makes this fruit an amazing one to keep the body protected and free from diseases.
What is the Glycemic Index of Papaya?
The system of allotting numbers from 0 to 100 to different foods based on their carbohydrate content is an efficient way of finding out and classifying foods as safe or unsafe for diabetes patients.
The Glycemic measures help determine whether or not a particular food is safe and healthy as per diabetic eating norms. The numbers allotted to each food item can be used to determine the effects that it may have on one’s blood glucose levels.
There are three main groups that the foods as per their Glycemic Index are divided into. They are as follows:
| Sl. No. | Glycemic Index Categories | Glycemic Index Range |
| 1. | Low Glycemic Index | From 0 to 55 |
| 2. | Medium Glycemic Index | From 56 to 69 |
| 3. | High Glycemic Index | 70 and above |
Papayas, like sweet fruits, have a medium Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index of Papaya is 59, which is a medium Glycemic range. This indicates that a moderate serving of these fruits is safe and will not cause any risks to your diabetic health.
Besides the Glycemic Index, the Glycemic Load is also an accurate measure of a food’s safety and quality as per the health requirements of diabetics. The glycemic load shows a more precise value at classifying foods. They are based on the quantity of food taken and its effect on the body’s blood sugar levels.
The Glycemic Load categories are also divided into three groups. They are as follows:
| Sl. No. | Glycemic Load Categories | Glycemic Load Range |
| 1. | Low Glycemic Load | From 0 to 10 |
| 2. | Medium Glycemic Load | From 11 to 19 |
| 3. | High Glycemic Load | 20 and above |
The Glycemic Index of papaya is of a medium-range, but when it comes to its Glycemic Load, the Glycemic Load of Papaya falls in the Low Glycemic Load category.
The Glycemic Load of papaya is only 6.4, which is very low. Thus, a regulated and controlled amount of papaya when eaten will not cause any unexpected or harmful rises in the body’s blood sugar levels. Therefore, it is proven that Papayas are among the safe and healthy fruits of one’s diabetic health.
Alongside not affecting your blood sugar levels, it, in turn, provides the body with a lot of essential macro and micronutrients. Let us look at the nutrients found in this fruit that can be beneficial for various health conditions.
What is the Nutritional Value of Papaya?
Papayas are among the many wonder-fruits and super-fruits, especially because of its loaded nutritional package. It consists of many varieties of nourishments that help the body in different ways:
Apart from keeping the body out of risk of developing diabetes, it is also helpful to prevent many other health symptoms, maintain proper functioning of the bodily systems, and boost the body’s immune system.
The following table contains a list of the many nutrients found in papayas and their respective quantities.
| Sl. No. | Nutrients available in 100 g of Papaya | Amount available |
| 1. | Calories | 43 |
| 2. | Fats | 0.26 g |
| 3. | Proteins | 0.47 g |
| 4. | Total Carbohydrates – Sugars – Fibers | 11 g – 2 g – 8 g |
| 5. | Water | 88.06 g |
| 6. | Calcium | 20 mg |
| 7. | Magnesium | 21 mg |
| 8. | Potassium | 182 mg |
| 9. | Manganese | 0.04 mg |
| 10. | Copper | 0.045 mg |
| 11. | Sodium | 8 mg |
| 12. | Iron | 0.25 mg |
| 13. | Selenium | 0.6 mg |
| 14. | Choline | 6.1 mg |
| 15. | Zinc | 0.08 mg |
| 16. | Phosphorus | 10 mg |
| 17. | Vitamin C | 60.9 µg |
| 18. | Vitamin A | 950 µg |
| 19. | Folate | 37 µg |
| 20. | Vitamin K | 2.6 µg |
| 21. | Vitamin E | 0.3 µg |
| 22. | Vitamin B5 | 0.191 µg |
| 23. | Vitamin B3 | 0.357 µg |
| 24. | Vitamin B6 | 0.038 µg |
| 25. | Vitamin B1 | 0.023 µg |
10 Health Benefits of Eating Papaya
Listed below are the several advantages of including papaya in your diets:
- As we already mentioned, papayas as great fruits for diabetics. They can serve as alternatives to other sugar-rich fruits. These are tested and observed to have safe and good effects on one’s diabetic sugar levels and help maintain a balance.
- Papayas are fruits that are low in sugar, have fewer calories, and also low in fat. Therefore, with all these benefits, they become one of the best fruits for aiding weight loss. If you are watching your weight, it is very safe and even incentivizing to add papaya to your daily diet.
- Papaya has been known to treat and aid the digestive system. The innumerable good enzymes present in papaya help in the proper food breakdown, thus promoting good metabolism and digestion.
- The richness of fiber in papaya also adds to the proper digestive functioning. It is great to regulate the pace of absorption and release of sugars, thus maintaining a healthy sugar level. On top, fiber consumption is also good for keeping away intestinal, digestion, and constipation issues.
- The presence of many daily needed vitamins and minerals in papaya helps in boosting immunity. Vitamin C is the major provider of the everyday good dose of nourishment and protection to the body.
- Potassium in papaya aids in keeping the kidney properly functional and healthy. It prevents kidney dysfunctions.
- These fruits also provide a lot of nourishment to the skin. Vitamins A, C, and E help keep the skin healthy, away from wrinkles, sagging, spots, blemishes, etc.
- These fruits are also good for the eye. Vitamin A helps in keeping the eye functions from degenerating and boosts overall safety.
- Papaya is also useful in preventing and protecting against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The oxidative stress is managed by the presence of antioxidants that promote a lot of benefits.
- The availability of fiber, potassium, Vitamin C, etc., keeps the heart safe and protects against cholesterol issues. It keeps away the risks of heart diseases and blood pressure issues.
References
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