Why You Shouldn’t Fear Prickly Pear
Why You Shouldn’t Fear Prickly Pear ~ By Jaanu
Let me be frank – until now, my only experience with the prickly pear was from the “Bear Necessities” song in The Jungle Book. Though writing this guarantees that that cheerful tune will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day, I am more than willing to make that tradeoff because prickly pear is quite the interesting piece of fruit. Prickly pears are the fruit of the cactus plant. Also called opuntia ficus-indica, prickly pear has long been cultivated in tropical and warm southern regions. Why should you look for prickly pear the next time you are grocery shopping? Here is the health benefit profile of prickly pear, according to WebMD.
- Though the rind is prickly, the fruit inside is supposedly delicious and quite nutrient rich, containing vitamins C, E, and K, along with calcium, magnesium, and beta-carotene.
- Eating cactus fruit promotes digestive health because prickly pears are good sources of potassium.
- Like many of fruits, prickly pears contain rather a lot of antioxidants. Some of these can help to reduce levels of cholesterol in the body – thereby promoting heart health!
- A single prickly pear contains 10 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, only 42 calories, and 1 gram of protein. It’s very much a desert fruit.
If you find a prickly pear, give it a try! Be sure to remove the prickles and the rind. If you know of another interesting fruit, let us know! 🍐
