Papaya Party

Photo by @madbutt

Papaya is a major favorite here at Cha Cha Mamma. This gorgeous fruit comes from the Carica papaya plant and it will be reaching its peak season pretty soon (late summer and fall)!  We love its tropical, hydrating, yet delicate flavor. Papaya is chalk full of folate, vitamin C,  vitamin A, and potassium. It also has some calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and vitamin K....and we just can't get enough! 

 It seems like it would be the perfect snack for pregnant Mammas to eat, and it is, but there is some interesting research to suggest that consuming underripe or semi-ripe papayas during pregnancy may contribute to some unwanted and potentially premature uterine contractions (Adebiyi, Adaikan, and Prasad, 2002).  

 The reason for this is because inside the skin, flesh, and seeds of underripe papayas, there is something called crude latex. This specific latex appears to contribute to the spastic contraction of the uterine muscles in some pregnant women (Adebiyi, Adaikan, and Prasad, 2002). That being said, as the papaya ripens, the amount of laticifer cells that produce the latex decrease (OECD, 2005). As a result, ripe papaya contains much less of the potentially harmful latex. We don’t want there to be any premature contracting over here!  

Do not let this deter you from eating delicious, incredibly healthy, and nutritious papaya during your pregnancy! Many Mammas have consumed ripe papaya safely throughout their pregnancies, and have reaped the incredible health benefits of this special fruit. Just give the papaya some time to ripen before you enjoy it! Plus, the ripening process makes it sweeter and juicer anyway!  

*Always make sure to speak to your doctor and/or prenatal nutritionist about his/her views on consuming ripe papaya during pregnancy.