I like to think of this as digestion pudding. I'm thinking of those Activia commercials now, haha. The combo of papaya, chia seed and coconut water is going to be a happy time for your digestive tract! Not to mention it tastes good! I like to know reasons that things are good for me, so here is a bit of education on Papaya, Chia Seeds & Coconut Water.
Papaya
Papaya has a high amount of proteolytic enzymes, which is the enzyme that enables the digestion of protein. Many health practitioners today are advising patients to take proteolytic enzymes to help with everything from inflammation and autoimmune conditions to heart disease and plaque. Papaya also contains natural fiber, carotene, vitamin C and essential minerals. Some other benefits include:
-Contains a high amount of potassium and the flesh of papaya is very high in Vitamin A.
-Helps prevent constipation and also aid in digestion. Papaya contains the protein called papain which is a digestive enzyme that helps in natural digestion process.
-Juice helps in alleviating infections of the colon by clearing away the infection, pus and mucus. Regular consumption will help in improving the problem.
-The skin of papaya is excellent for treating skin wounds and places that do not heal quickly.
-Low in calories and high in nutritive value hence it is an excellent food for those on a diet.
-Regularly consuming papaya helps to relieve morning sickness and nausea.
-Has anti-inflammatory properties and anti-cancerous properties. The anti-inflammatory properties in papaya will help reduce pain for those suffering from arthritis, edema and osteoporosis.
-Cleans the stomach and studies have shown that papaya alone eaten for 3 to 4 days has a highly beneficial tonic effect upon the stomach and intestines.
Chia Seed
Yeah, I know you are thinking of the silly chia pet, and yep, those are the seeds. But long before they were used to grow green hair on terra cotta animals, they were used as a staple food by the Indians of the south west and Mexico. When it's combined with water, or any liquid, the seeds get a gel like coating on them, so you can use them to make things (in food) stay together, like an egg would. That gel like coating actually makes it so chia seeds can hold 12x's their weight in water, which helps a lot for digestion. It's digested as a protein very easily and is the richest vegetable source for Omega 3 fatty acids, but has no cholesterol (unlike fish). Chia has about three to ten times the oil concentrations of most grains and one and a half to two times the protein concentrations of other grains.
There are many benefits of chia seeds, you may want to look into them.
It's one of the best drinks to hydrate the body because it's naturally isotonic with the same electrolyte balance we have in our blood. It helps remove toxins from the body, aids in digestion plus has anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties that help it cure diseases. Unlike coconut milk, coconut water has almost no fat in it, and isn't very high in calories (around 45 for one cup).
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| fresh cut papaya |
Makes a bit over 2 cups
Apprx 1 1/2 C Papaya
1/2 to 3/4 C Coconut Water
1/4 C Chia Seeds
12 drops Vanilla Stevia
3 pitted Dates, medjool preferably (dates used as an additional sweetener, if you don't have any, you can use 3 Tbs agave nectar or raw honey instead)
1 Tbs unsweetened coconut
1 tsp maca, optional
Spoon out seeds from the papaya, and then remove flesh from the outer skin. Put all ingredients into a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Allow it to be at least 45 seconds so that the chia seeds will break up a little bit and start making the gel more quickly. Put in the fridge for at least 15 min for it to set and to cool off. The unsweetened coconut you can put on over the top of the pudding or mix it in, or both!
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