The papaya is featured prominently in Nutriologic’s imagery, and for a very special reason: When I think of a papaya, I think of happy memories with my mother.
My mother used to serve me papaya slices every morning for breakfast. I came to love this sweet and tender fruit not just for its flavor, but for the tradition of starting each day with my mother. Papaya is tasty as well as nutritious. It contains an enzyme called papain, which scientists believe aids in digestion and helps the body to heal wounds. For me, as someone who helps people heal by eating well, there is no more perfect symbol.
The papaya is native to Central America and the northern part of South America, including Colombia, where I grew up. If you slice a papaya horizontally, the inside seeds create a star pattern. This is one of very few star shapes that occur naturally in food crops.
The inside of a ripe papaya is a bright coral, like the orange-pink color we use at Nutriologic. This is my favorite color. The rind of a papaya starts off a bright yellow, which is not only the color of sunshine, it was my mother’s favorite color. Nutriologic also uses a deep blue, called “Compass Blue.” This hue is an homage to my father, who has been my guide – like a compass – throughout my entire life. It is also close to the deep blue of the American flag, which also has special meaning to my family: My father served in the U.S. Army Special Forces for nearly 30 years.
Sprouting out of the papaya is a double helix, signifying DNA. DNA is the building block of life: It carries each individual’s unique genetic code. This is life, and the individual, in its most fundamental form. The twisting lines are a reminder of how far science can teach us: One hundred years ago, no one knew that DNA was shaped like a double helix. Since then, science has progressed leaps and bounds in what we know about how DNA works. How much more will we know about life in ten, twenty, one hundred years from now? Science is a constantly evolving discipline, and we learn more every day about how to best meet an individual’s nutritional needs. It brings me joy to translate the work of the scientific community into information you can use in your daily life.
These colors and symbols illustrate my family roots, as well as my aspirations for Nutriologic: To be a source of comfort, vitality, and scientific knowledge for all who seek to live better through strong nutrition.
