Unripe papayas

I like to eat papaya, especially when it is slightly unripe. Unfortunately, my mother advises against eating unripe papaya for fear of miscarrying. She believes I must eat ripe papayas, which will aid in better milk production. Is this another myth?  

When peeling the skin from an unripe papaya, you see small droplets of white latex oozing out from the fruit. The latex contains an enzyme known as papain, or vegetable pepsin. All papayas contain the white latex; unripe ones have more. 

In animal feeding studies carried out at the National University of Singapore, pregnant and non-pregnant rats were fed with ripe papaya juice, crude papaya latex or water. The results as reported by the medical scientists indicate that crude papaya latex induced spasmodic contraction of the uterine muscles in the rats similar to that caused by the hormones oxytocin and prostaglandin (British J. of nutrition, August 2002). 

For mothers to start labour, the body produces prostaglandin and oxytocin. Synthetic prostaglandin and oxytocin are commonly used to induce or strengthen labour contractions. 

Many South-East Asian cultures use semi-ripe papaya to make soups for young girls when they reach puberty and for nursing mothers after childbirth.

It is a traditional belief that pregnant women and those who are trying to become pregnant should refrain from eating unripe papaya to avoid miscarriage. 

What are the advantages of eating unripe papaya? 

Many South-East Asian cultures use semi-ripe papaya to make soups for young girls when they reach puberty and for nursing mothers after childbirth. They believe that eating papaya may stimulate milk flow during lactation. It is probably due to the beta carotene-like compounds in papaya that stimulate production of mother’s milk.  

The green fruit is a laxative and diuretic. The unripe papaya is considered to have more healing powers for constipation than the ripe one. The enzyme papain also helps to digest proteins, especially food with gluten such as wheat and oats or other high protein foods. It helps to relieve indigestion.  

Even our skin benefits from unripe papaya. Extract of green papaya is made into masks and creams to rid of wrinkles and old skin cells and improves skin complexions. 

Who should avoid green papaya? 

To some people, papaya latex is an irritant when it is in contact with the skin externally. If ingested, it causes severe gastritis. To others it may induce asthma, numbing of the nerve centres and cardiac depression. 

My friend advised me to soak raisins in gin and drink it everyday to cure arthritis. Is this a cure or just a myth? 

Grapes and raisins do contain anti-inflammatory compounds that may relief pain. When these are soaked in gin, and taken in moderation, it may give symptomatic relief rather than a cure. Bear in mind that gin is alcoholic and it may also dull pain. Excessive consumption of strong alcoholic drinks may introduce a new set of problems. 

I have been told that endive juice is beneficial for eyes. What are the benefits of endive consumption. What other types of food are good for our eyes? 

There are two common varieties of endive: narrow-leaved endive called curly endive and the broad-leaved endive, which is often called escarole. It is a popular salad in Europe. Endive has a good amount of folate that supports healthy heart function and vitamin A for our eyes.  

There are many local vegetables especially cekur manis (ma ni cai), sesbania (daun turi), wolfberry leaves (kau kei coy), drumstick leaves, curry leaves and spinach, which are rich in lutein, an eye nutrient. Regular consumption of food that contains lutein reduces one’s risk of two common vision disorders – cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.  

You can also include egg yolk, dhal, chickpea (kacang kuda), green gram, black bean, corn, carrot, papaya, nangka and mango in your diet for eye healthcare. 

I had my blood test recently and everything is okay except for lack of vitamin B12. Can you list the types of food that supplies B vitamins?  

Food such as beef, lamb, turkey, liver, fish, prawn, oyster, scallop, egg and milk are good sources of vitamin B12. You can also include mushroom, yoghurt, miso, seaweed, skimmed milk regularly in your diet. Take brown rice instead of white rice or potato and eat bean-vegetables such as long bean, French bean, ho lan tau (green pea pod) for a rich supply of vitamin B complex. 

I enjoy having a glass of wine with my meal occasionally. Is it true that it is better to drink alcoholic drinks with food to avoid the effects of alcohol? 

It is likely that one would drink less when you take alcoholic drinks with food. The solid food also slows the absorption of ethanol. In this way, it reduces the alcoholic affect. 

I like to drink water or soup with my meals. Will this habit make me fat, especially around the belly area? 

Water has no calories. If you drink water with meals you do not consume additional calories, thus it will not make you fat. By drinking too much water with meals you may feel distended and eat less.  

As for soups, it would be a different matter. Oily soup does add calories. Coupled with the total calories provided by other dishes in the meal, there is a possibility of weight gain if you don’t exercise enough.