For many people, papaya is a hit or miss fruit. Some people want to love it, but they just don’t know how to pick them or use them properly. Others want nothing to do with them, which is also acceptable. The reality is that papayas can be bitter on their own, especially if you don’t choose ripe fruits. That’s why blending papaya with other ingredients is a great entry point into your culinary journey with these nutritious fruits.

When buying papaya, choose one that has mostly yellow skin if you want to enjoy it right away, or within a couple days. It’s perfectly fine for papayas to have a little green on the skin when you buy them. Fully ripe papayas will be completely yellow on the outside and slightly firm and a little soft to the touch. You don’t want a papaya that is too soft, though. They don’t have a very assertive flavor profile, so you can mask their flavors with other ingredients, for example, the freshly squeezed orange juice, banana, and mango in this smoothie. We didn’t forget about the avocado; rather, avocados don’t take over smoothies, either. They just make smoothies incredibly creamy and even more nutritious.

Papayas are naturally rich in a digestive enzyme called papain. This enzyme, and other digestive enzymes, work to break down the food you eat in order for the body to digest it properly. That process enhances the body’s ability to absorb nutrients during digestion. Papain may also relieve symptoms of digestive discomfort, including constipation, bloating, gas, and more. Lastly, papayas are naturally rich in highly bioavailable beta-carotene and lycopene, two antioxidants that benefit immune, skin, and eye health.