Squeeze Nopales into Your Diet

Nopales, aka prickly pear cactus leaves, is super good for you.  It’s one of my favorite all-time foods, but many people don’t like them.

There are lots of reasons to eat nopales — they’re very nutritious, have lots of fiber and some studies have shown that nopales contain, “mucopolysaccharide soluble fibers and phytochemicals, including pectin. These ingredients may slow carbohydrate absorption and decrease lipid absorption in the digestive tract.”

I usually eat them as a side dish with cilantro, onion and some garlic.  You can also make them with pico de gallo, either eat cold or hot.  Another easy way to squeeze some nopales into your diet is to chop them up and add them to salads, tuna salad or egg salad for a sandwich.

Fresh nopales are the best and taste the most scrumptious.  In a pinch, though, if you buy some canned nopales and wash them really well they can serve as a poor substitute.

Just wanted to drop some healthy eating hints now, I will re-visit this whole nopales-are-healthy-especially-for-diabetics issue in the future.  Enjoy!