While most people throw them away, papaya seeds are not only edible, small amounts of them in your diet can be surprisingly good for you. Keep in mind though that chewing half a teaspoon of the seeds is not like eating papaya fruit. They have a strong flavor, more like a cross between mustard and black peppercorns. If you can handle that, ahead are some of the main health benefits of papaya seeds, followed by some interesting ways to add them to your diet.
The easiest way to add papaya seeds to your diet is to simply buy a fresh papaya and keep the ones you scrape out separately in a container in the fridge or freezer. This works best if you use them regularly for a consistent supply. Even a small papaya fruit yields many seeds and should keep you going for several days. That said, it is recommended getting the larger South American or Mexican papayas if you can as these are not affected by GMO issues. Many sources online are negatively portraying all papaya fruit as genetically modified. This is simply not true and a real shame when papayas are so good for you.
It’s recommended to read about some potential side effects and warnings on papaya seed enzymes, particularly if you are pregnant, have a stomach ulcer or are on blood thinning medications before using papaya seeds.
Men wishing to get a partner pregnant would also want to avoid eating the seeds as studies show they can temporarily but drastically reduce a man’s fertility. If, on the other hand, a man wanted to lower the chances of unplanned pregnancy, this page looks at papaya seeds potential as a natural form of male birth control.
If you do decide to use them then start slowly with papaya seeds at the beginning as, while they are safe to eat in small doses, they are quite powerful. For someone who has never used them before, perhaps just a few the first time would be a good start.
If these are well-tolerated, you can slowly work up over a week or two to a quarter of a teaspoon, followed by half a teaspoon, then eventually a full teaspoon of fresh seeds. Taken with each protein heavy meal, this should be a good amount to get the full benefits of their proteolytic enzymes for your digestion.
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