Publication date: June 12, 2003
And recent research suggests eating papaya may boost your immune system against such strong enemies as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). As a result, you can’t even find a papaya in Toronto’s Chinatown, where this virulent virus is a threat, according to Homero Levy de Barros, president of HLB Tropical Food USA in Plantation. He imports and distributes Caliman papayas from Brazil. Plus, he says, a papaya has more vitamin C and potassium than two oranges and has fewer calories. In fact, its calorie count is half that of a large banana. It has more vitamin A than carrots and is an abundant source of the antioxidant vitamin E.
