A smooth way to enjoy a prickly pear

In the most memorable song from Disney’s 1967 movie “The Jungle Book,” Baloo the bear teaches young Mowgli the ins and outs of enjoying an exotic (but potentially menacing) prickly pear.

Luckily, you don’t have to forage for your own prickly pear, but we do recommend that you try to get your paws on some. A few studies show this spiny fruit of the nopales cactus to be protective against DNA mutations that can spark health problems. They’re packed with vitamins, including A and C, which boost immunity and support skin, teeth and eye health. They’re also fiberrich, which is good for the health of your gut biome. In two small studies of people with Type 2 diabetes, those who ate steamed prickly pear with a high-carbohydrate meal had lower blood sugar levels post-meal.

So enjoy these oddly named fruits -- called “tuna” in Spanish, “prickly pear” in English -- by cutting them in half and eating the flesh and seeds, or by adding to sauces and smoothies.