pa pa ya!

Sya's grandpa Atuk Rahim is a very smart man. Smart as in he is good with numbers. Infact I love going to Tescos with him becoz he economically calculates which is more worth your money's buy. Abah as I fondly call him, has a built in calculator in his head.


Suprising, he didnt come from a wealthy family, sometimes food was hard to find (my late grandpa was only a rubbertapper) but was amongs the first in his village to go to university.



I notice my grandma loves to plant fruit and veges at her back garden...so I did a little reading here and there and found that IRON played a major role in learning, memory and thinking functions. I will make a later post on this as the article I found was very very helpful.

I noticed as well that my dad had a very very personal liking for Papayas. He would squeeze some lime juice on them for breakfast. Lucky for him, he has this BOUNTYFUL Papaya Tree right at the back of his house.



My grandma also said that she had sometimes mashed them up to give them as baby food. I gave them to Liya when she was growing up, and definately she has very very good memory and thinking skills. Back then 8 years ago, I didnt have any internet access for my cause, but knew it was a good source of vitamin C.

I googled somemore (of course I live by the motto "you are what you eat") and found these

"Excellent food for children because it is important for their growth."
http://www.health2know.com/papaya-goodness/

"It is an excellent source of Vitamin A, C, E, Folic Acid, Potassium, Copper, Beta-Carotene, Calcium, Phosphorous, Iron and Fiber!"
http://hungryzone.com/index.php/detailed-health-tip-article/20/Benefits-of-papaya

Because there is Vitamin C, I am not afraid about the absoption of nonheme Iron it contains.
"On the other hand, the absorption of iron from plants (nonheme iron) is enhanced when vitamin C is simultaneously present in the diet, and calcium absorption is improved by adequate amounts of vitamin D."
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1130543/nonheme-iron

More on nonheme Iron and the use of Vitamin C for enhanced absorbtion here :http://ibdcrohns.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/fdairon.htm

At least now I have a pretty good reason to give Sya Papayas. And Papayas are sooooo cheap..what more reason should there be.

Last week Sya gratuated from Papaya with honours. Alhamdulillah, no allergic reaction after having only steamed papaya for lunch using the 4 day rule.

Since it is only advisable to give raw ripe papaya at the age of 6 months, I decided to steam them until they are soft for a good 3-5 minutes (not to long so that the nutrients are well kept).

I had fun with papaya definately...easy to prepare and delicious - yes I taste them, after all our kids are still HUMAN.

My version of PA PA YA!

1. Peel the skin first.




2. Cut whole papaya into half





3. The black seeds needs to be remove and the white bits needs to be scraped off.




4. Cut into cubes.



5. Steam for a good 3-5 minutes until soft. Pureed and strain to get rid of impurities and maybe big bits.