Papaya
Food · Fruit · Food, Typed Supps
Contains a digestive enzyme, plus one of the highest vitamin C counts of any fruit.
Stage by stage
- Intake (Soft flesh): Its soft flesh breaks down with minimal chewing.
- Stomach (Papain aids protein digestion): Papain, its digestive enzyme, can help break down proteins alongside stomach acid.
- Small intestine (Vitamin C & folate absorbed): Vitamin C and folate are absorbed in the small intestine.
- Immune tissue (Immune cell function supported): Absorbed vitamin C supports immune cell function throughout the body.
Timing
Best eaten ripe, when the skin gives slightly to pressure and has turned mostly yellow-orange.
Time to effect
- Hours: Vitamin C blood levels rise within a couple of hours; papain’s digestive effect is immediate when eaten with a meal.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Keto.
In season
May to October in the northern hemisphere, November to April in the southern.
Satiety
The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 40 kcal per 100 g that is 602 g of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.
Environmental footprint
1.1 kg CO2e and 199 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other fruit" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £3 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 39.9
- Protein: 0.4g
- Carbohydrate: 8.4g
- of which sugars: 8.4g
- Fat: 0g
- of which saturated: 0g
- Fibre: 2.1g
- Sodium: 4mg
Food vs. supplement
A single papaya can provide more than a full day’s vitamin C in one serving — exceeding what a standard low-dose vitamin C supplement provides — along with papain, an enzyme sold separately in some digestive supplements.
Kitchen tip
A squeeze of lime cuts through its musky sweetness and is the classic pairing in most cuisines that use it fresh.
Common myth
Unripe green papaya is not worth eating. In reality: Unripe papaya is a common ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking and contains more concentrated papain than the ripe fruit — it is simply prepared differently, usually cooked or shredded raw in salads.
Recipes that use it
More in Fruit
In the glossary
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