Nopal is the culinary name for a pad of the prickly pear cactus, and nopales is the plural term. A prickly pear is the common name for any member of the Opuntia genus, although farmers typically grow Opuntia ficus-indica commercially. Nopales are a common vegetable in Mexico, and it’s also available in the southwestern United States.
Serving Size
BuddySlim offers nutritional data on nopales. This information applies to 1 cup of raw nopales weighing about 86g, or about 3 oz. Nopales is a natural food product, so its nutritional content is independent of the brand name.
Calories
A serving of nopales provides 14 calories. Carbohydrates account for nine calories, protein provides four calories and fat contributes the remaining calorie. This represents 0.7 percent of the daily value for total calories, assuming a daily diet of 2,000 calories.
Protein and Fat
Nopales contains 1.1g of protein per serving, which is 2.2 percent of the daily value for protein. It also provides 0.1g of unsaturated fat, which is less than 1 percent of the daily value for fat. Nopales contains no saturated fat or cholesterol.
Carbohydrates
A serving of nopales contains 2.9g of carbohydrates, which is about 1 percent of the daily value for total carbohydrates. This carbohydrate total includes 1.9g of dietary fiber, or about 8 percent of the daily value for dietary fiber.
Vitamins and Minerals
Nopales contains about 13 percent of the daily value for vitamin A and vitamin C. It also has 14 percent of the daily value for calcium, 11 percent of the daily value for magnesium and 5 percent of the daily value for vitamin B-6. A serving of nopales provides 18g of sodium, which is less than 1 percent of the daily value for sodium. Minor nutrients in nopales include niacin, iron, folate, phosphorus and zinc.
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