We seem to grow up with the general belief that the seeds in many fruits aren’t meant to be consumed – whether it be because they’d cause a blockage in our stomachs or simply because they don’t taste favorable. However, as many watermelon enjoyers have probably discovered after consuming one or two black seeds by accident, that rule sometimes has its loopholes. In fact, some even have great health benefits and the ones we will be specifically exploring today are papaya seeds. 

There is a specific way to prepare papaya seeds in order to reap the benefits of it aside from eating them raw. You can achieve this by drying them out and grinding them into a powder to sprinkle atop your food or smoothies. They have a peppery flavor that acts as a nice seasoning alongside its given nutrients. Seeing how many seeds you get from the fruit itself, you can make enough powder to last you quite a while, too. Many prefer this over scooping them straight out of the center of the fruit and eating them that way as sometimes the taste alone can be a little bitter. 

It is additionally important to note that you cannot eat a lot of seeds at once when you’re first starting out. As is the case with excess of anything, introducing too many of its properties to your body in one go can have adverse effects. If you have preexisting health conditions, please consult a doctor before consuming any on the off chance it interacts poorly with you.

In terms of the pros of eating papaya seeds, the first lies in the enzymes they contain that aid in digestion. For anyone who struggles with constipation, bloating, or irregular bowel movements, this can be super helpful. In this case, you’d want to eat a teaspoon of fresh seeds after a meal as that’ll directly activate the enzyme in a higher concentration alongside the other food in your stomach. 

Aside from enzymes, papaya seeds contain a high amount of antioxidants that – when consumed in safe amounts – can improve your liver health. Drinking ground seeds mixed into a drink once a day for a couple of weeks is the preferred way of achieving this, almost like taking a daily vitamin. And in a similar manner, the enzymes and antioxidants contained in papaya seeds also cover the grounds of being anti-inflammatory, boosting your immune system, eliminating stomach parasites, and improving heart health. 

It’s incredible how much benefit you can gain from adding something unorthodox to your diet, despite always considering it something to dispose of. It never hurts to add an extra boost to your health if it’s safe and available to you. A plus being that it decreases the amount of waste you have when eating a papaya. Be sure to research the topic a little more before incorporating papaya seeds into your daily routine just to be safe, but do recognize that it could be worth your while if you worry about any of the aforementioned bodily symptoms. 

Article by: Ryshel Constantino

Images from Unsplash.com contributors:

• Ashleigh Shea
• Jakob Owens
• Diana Oborska
• Estudio Bloom