Prickly Pear

Food · Fruit · Food, Typed Supps

A cactus fruit that’s mostly water and fiber, with a solid dose of vitamin C.

Stage by stage

Intake (Chewing breaks up the flesh): Chewing breaks down the juicy, seed-flecked flesh.
Stomach (Sugars begin digesting): Natural sugars start digesting quickly while fiber moves through largely intact.
Small intestine (Vitamin C and fiber absorbed): Vitamin C and potassium are absorbed; unused vitamin C is simply excreted, not stored.
Bloodstream & gut (Supports immune and digestive function): Vitamin C supports immune function, while fiber adds bulk that helps digestion.

Timing

Any time as a low-calorie snack, best served chilled.

Time to effect

Days: Vitamin C is not stored in meaningful amounts, so status responds within a day or two of intake.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Keto.

In season

September to December in the northern hemisphere, March to June in the southern.

Satiety

228 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — very high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

0.4 kg CO2e and 180 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Apples" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Cheap — roughly £2 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 48.8
Protein: 0.4g
Carbohydrate: 8.8g
of which sugars: 8.8g
Fat: 0.3g
of which saturated: 0g
Fibre: 4.6g
Sodium: 1mg

Food vs. supplement

A 100g serving supplies close to a fifth of a day’s vitamin C for under 50 calories, along with fiber and potassium a plain vitamin C tablet does not provide.

Kitchen tip

Peel carefully under running water — the skin carries fine, hair-like spines even after the large ones are removed — and chill before eating; it is traditionally served cold.

Common myth

“Prickly pear is just a novelty fruit with barely any nutrition.” In reality: It is a genuine vitamin C source at a lower calorie count than most fruit, plus fiber and potassium.

In the glossary

Absorption