Nopales, also known as noplaitos, are the edible, fleshy pads of certain species of prickly pear cactus plants, which are eaten as a vegetable. To prepare nopales, pick the young pads carefully. Remove any spines with a knife or burn them off with a flame. Nopales are sliced and eaten raw or fried, roasted, added to soups and stews or pickled. Low in calories, nopales provide modest amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals.
Components
The United States Department of Agriculture states that a 1/2 cup serving of cooked nopales weighs around 75g. carbohydrates make up around 2.5g of that amount. Proteins contribute just 1g and fats contribute less than 0.1g per serving. Nopales provide around 1.5g of dietary fiber. The remaining portion of the serving consists of other nutrients and water.
Calories
The USDA also indicates that a 1/2 cup serving of nopales provides a total of just 13 calories. Carbohydrates deliver 9 calories within the serving. Proteins provide around for calories and fats offer only trace amounts of calories per serving. The same serving of nopales can make up just over 0.5 percent of the recommended daily intake of calories for the average adult on a diet of 2,000 calories per day.
Vitamins
A serving of cooked nopales provides only modest amounts of vitamins. The highest of these are vitamin C at 4mg or 5 percent of the recommended daily intake, vitamin K at 3.8mcg or almost 4 percent, and vitamin B6 at 0.05mg or just over 3 percent of the RDI. Lesser quantities of vitamins within nopales include vitamins A and K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate.
Minerals
Nopales also offer dietary minerals, including calcium at around 120mg or 12 percent of the RDI, and magnesium at 35mg or almost 10 percent. Other minerals in nopales include iron, phosphorus, selenium potassium and zinc in smaller amounts.
References
- Institute of Medicine, National Academies: Dietary Reference Intakes
- US Department Of Agriculture: Cactus, Cooked, Fat Not Added in Cooking (Includes: Nopal)
- Gourmet Sleuth: Nopales
- Purdue University Extension: Cactus Pear
- Southwestern Medical Center: Want to Reap the Luck O' the Irish?
- Nopal Export: What is Nopal
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