Nopales are the flat pads of the prickly pear cactus. Mexicans have eaten them as vegetables since before the arrival of the Europeans. With their spines removed and the tough skin peeled, nopales make nutritional additions to omelets, soups and salads. The pads contain vitamins, protein and minerals, including potassium.
Potassium in Nopales
Nopales are edible cooked or raw. The cooked cactus has fewer nutrients: 1 cup of raw nopales offers 583.39 mg of potassium while the same amount of cooked cactus provides 442.65 mg of the mineral.
Recommended Potassium Intake
The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends 400 mg of potassium a day for newborns. At seven months, babies should start getting 700 mg of the nutrient. Children’s potassium needs increase significantly to 3,000 mg daily when they turn 1 year old. Provide kids 4 years and older 3,800 mg of the mineral until their 9th birthday. At that age, they thrive on 4,500 mg of potassium daily. Fourteen-year-olds require 4,700 mg of this nutrient through the end of adulthood.
Complementing Nopales
Rather than stuffing yourself with gobs of nopales, vary your menu to include a number of potassium sources throughout the day. The variety is also important because the cactus does not offer every nutrient. By eating an assortment of foods, not only do you increase your potassium intake, but you also take in all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive. Other sources of potassium include baked potatoes with the skin on, plums, bananas, lima beans and acorn squash.
Potassium’s Importance
Potassium facilitates cell, tissue and organ function by conducting electric impulses. Without potassium, your heart cannot pump blood and your skeletal muscles cannot move, causing your body to stay stationary. Peristalsis, the intestinal movement that expels the stool, also depends on potassium to occur.
References
- University of California; Prickly Pear Cactus Production; Yvonne Savio; July 1989
- SkipThePie.org: Nutritional Info: Nopales, Cooked, without Salt
- SkipThePie.org: Nutritional Info: Nopales, Cooked, without Salt vs Nopales, Raw
- Linus Pauling Institute; Potassium; Jane Higdon, Ph.D., et al.; December 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Potassium; Steven D. Ehrlich, N.M.D.; May 6, 2009
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