Can Papayas Make You Sick?

I recently discovered papayas.  Not that I haven't seen them on the local grocer's shelf before.  But not until recently I decided to go ahead a give one a try.  Remembering that I have tried them before and I had liked them a lot, I was thrilled to bring two large fruits home.

I decided to eat one for breakfast.  Once I sliced it open and tried it, I was in heaven! It was delicious! So without hesitation I ate the whole thing in one sitting.  Few days later I delightfully repeated the same process with the second fruit.  That's when everything went wrong.




There is so much truth in saying "Too much of a good thing..." I wish I knew then what I know now about papayas.  They are not just another fruit, like your apples or bananas.  In large quantity, papaya can actually be toxic for you! 

While papayas are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and good-for-you fiber, too much of it can cause some serious digestive problems.  For me, it started with some mild stomach ache.  Suddenly, I looked like I was 5 months pregnant, and felt like somebody put large, pointy rocks in my stomach.  It hurt! I tried to go for a walk, but it only intensified symptoms.  An hour later I was sitting down with major stomach pain, enormous headache and nausea, which worsened with every move I made.  I felt like I had serious food poisoning.  Then, only then I went ahead and did some research.

I found out that too much of papaya can cause the following:
-stomach ache
-abdominal cramps
-queasiness or nausea
-bloating
-flatulence

I had every single one of those symptoms!  Aside from digestive issues, I learned that it may also cause:
-carotenomia (skin discoloration)
-constipation
-diarrhea
-slowing down of your heart beat
-miscarriage during pregnancy
-skin rashes
-kidney stones

My digestive symptoms lasted over 12 hours.  During that time I did everything I could to help, from taking activated charcoal to performing water enemas.  I did notice improvements from each remedy.  Yet, the recovery was slow and I spent whole day suffering in pain, not able to eat anything or drink much water till the next morning.


Because I knew how wholesome and nutritious papayas are, I thought I could make a meal out of it and have the whole thing for breakfast.  I did not realize that this foot-long fruit can be so potent.  I didn't know that eating large amounts could cause shock to my digestive system.  I'm sure I'll be having papaya again, but in very moderate amounts.  Not everyone may react to large amounts of papaya the same as I did, but may my experience be not only a lesson in temperance, but also a warning to what MAY happen if we chose to overindulge.

Resources:
SuperFoodProfiles.com
LiveStrong.com