...the nutritional value of prickly pears and full prickly pear nutrition information...
Prickly pears are an excellent source of magnesium and calcium, and contain good amounts of potassium and fibre.
Prickly pears are an excellent source of magnesium which helps to relax the nerves and muscles, plays a part in bone health and also helps with blood circulation.
Prickly pears also provide a good fruit source of calcium
which is needed for bone health. Calcium also plays a part in blood clotting and helps support nerve and muscle functioning.
A good source of vitamin C, prickly pears can help
protect the cells and tissues from free radical damage, thereby helping to prevent cancer. Vitamin C also helps with dietary iron absorption.
Prickly pears also contain a good amount of potassium which helps the nerves and muscles to function properly and also maintains the bodies' acid balance. Potassium can also help lower the risk of high blood pressure.
Prickly pears contain good amounts of fibre which supports bowel regularity and therefore helps to prevent bowel cancer. Fibre also helps to maintain blood sugar and
cholesterol
levels.
One prickly pear contains around 42 calories.
THE FULL NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF PRICKLY PEARS:
Prickly pears, raw
Refuse: 25% (Seeds, skin, and bud end) Scientific Name: Opuntia spp. NDB No: 09287 (Nutrient values and weights are for edible portion)
Nutrient
Units
1.00 X 1 fruit without refuse ------- 103g
Proximates
Water
g
90.18
Energy
kcal
42
Energy
kJ
177
Protein
g
0.75
Total lipid (fat)
g
0.53
Ash
g
1.69
Carbohydrate, by difference
g
9.86
Fiber, total dietary
g
3.7
Minerals
Calcium, Ca
mg
58
Iron, Fe
mg
0.31
Magnesium, Mg
mg
88
Phosphorus, P
mg
25
Potassium, K
mg
227
Sodium, Na
mg
5
Zinc, Zn
mg
0.12
Copper, Cu
mg
0.082
Selenium, Se
mcg
0.6
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid
mg
14.4
Thiamin
mg
0.014
Riboflavin
mg
0.062
Niacin
mg
0.474
Vitamin B-6
mg
0.062
Folate, total
mcg
6
Folic acid
mcg
0
Folate, food
mcg
6
Folate, DFE
mcg_DFE
6
Vitamin B-12
mcg
0.00
Vitamin A, RAE
mcg_RAE
2
Retinol
mcg
0
Carotene, beta
mcg
26
Carotene, alpha
mcg
0
Cryptoxanthin, beta
mcg
3
Vitamin A, IU (1)
IU
44
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated
g
0.069
4:0
g
0.000
6:0
g
0.000
8:0
g
0.000
10:0
g
0.000
12:0
g
0.000
14:0
g
0.000
16:0
g
0.054
18:0
g
0.010
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated
g
0.077
16:1 undifferentiated
g
0.002
18:1 undifferentiated
g
0.074
20:1
g
0.001
22:1 undifferentiated
g
0.000
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated
g
0.219
18:2 undifferentiated
g
0.192
18:3 undifferentiated
g
0.024
18:4
g
0.000
20:4 undifferentiated
g
0.000
20:5 n-3 (EPA)
g
0.000
22:5 n-3 (DPA)
g
0.000
22:6 n-3 (DHA)
g
0.000
Cholesterol
mg
0
Other
Alcohol, ethyl
g
0.0
Footnotes:
1 Green variety
USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22 (2009)
Prickly pears are an excellent source of magnesium and calcium, and contain good amounts of potassium and fibre.
