- Joined
- Nov 7, 2012
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- 5,173
- Location (City and/or State)
- South of Southern California, but not Mexico
I'm going to use an extreme abbreviated citation format.
Evaluation of oxalates and Calcium in nopal pads (Opuntia ficus-indica var. redonda) at different maturity stages. Margarita C-Padilla, et al., 2011, Journal of food composition and analysis.
Free download http://www.researchgate.net/profile...ity_stages/links/00b7d5224b0b54c001000000.pdf
The take home message in this paper and how best to use pads is found in Table 1 on page 40, basically when pads are very young and fresh they load up on things (oxalate) that help reduce palatability. As the pad ages and spines grow, the skin thickens, less oxalate is required for a deterrent.
Oxalates get a bad rep from people who panic at the word. Oxalates are so predominate in the plant world the plants that don't have them is the short list. All the produce in the grocery store has them.
Oxalates have roughly fours paths when ingested. 1) they are already bound with some mineral, not exclusively calcium, and they pass right through. 2) They are not bound to any mineral and do so in the GI, and pass through, 3) they are absorbed and serve no purpose and are flushed out through the Kidneys, 4) they are absorbed and serve some metabolic purpose (are degraded so no longer oxalates).
The metabolic purposes are many. There are even bacteria in our gut biome that can among other things degrade oxalates in the gut, freeing up sub-constituents for further digestion. If there is abundant calcium in the gut when oxalates are part of the meal they are bound then and there and go out in feces. GOOD news, opuntia is loaded with calcium, older pads more than younger pads.
I have found PubMed to be a good source on how Opuntia and oxalates can influence humans' nutrition and state of health/ Google scholar is also a good place to look.
Be Calm, Opuntia On.
Evaluation of oxalates and Calcium in nopal pads (Opuntia ficus-indica var. redonda) at different maturity stages. Margarita C-Padilla, et al., 2011, Journal of food composition and analysis.
Free download http://www.researchgate.net/profile...ity_stages/links/00b7d5224b0b54c001000000.pdf
The take home message in this paper and how best to use pads is found in Table 1 on page 40, basically when pads are very young and fresh they load up on things (oxalate) that help reduce palatability. As the pad ages and spines grow, the skin thickens, less oxalate is required for a deterrent.
Oxalates get a bad rep from people who panic at the word. Oxalates are so predominate in the plant world the plants that don't have them is the short list. All the produce in the grocery store has them.
Oxalates have roughly fours paths when ingested. 1) they are already bound with some mineral, not exclusively calcium, and they pass right through. 2) They are not bound to any mineral and do so in the GI, and pass through, 3) they are absorbed and serve no purpose and are flushed out through the Kidneys, 4) they are absorbed and serve some metabolic purpose (are degraded so no longer oxalates).
The metabolic purposes are many. There are even bacteria in our gut biome that can among other things degrade oxalates in the gut, freeing up sub-constituents for further digestion. If there is abundant calcium in the gut when oxalates are part of the meal they are bound then and there and go out in feces. GOOD news, opuntia is loaded with calcium, older pads more than younger pads.
I have found PubMed to be a good source on how Opuntia and oxalates can influence humans' nutrition and state of health/ Google scholar is also a good place to look.
Be Calm, Opuntia On.