Fig Nutrition

Scientific Name: Ficus carica

Order: Rosales

Family: Moraceae

Figs (Ficus carica) have green to dark purple skin. The color of the flesh is generally red. Figs also have a unique, sweet taste with a soft and chewy texture littered with many, small, edible seeds. A fig is not a fruit but a syconium because it contains a group of inverted flowers growing inside a pod. Each pod has hundreds of flowers, and each flower generates a small seed, which is the actual fruit of the fig. Figs are native to the Mediterranean and Western Asia, and they are widely cultivated in these regions. Figs are enriched with dietary fiber (12% daily value [DV]). Dietary fiber can help reduce cholesterol and improve heart health, which may reduce the risk of many heart diseases. Furthermore, dietary fiber may keep blood sugar levels stable and help one maintain a healthy body weight. In addition to this, figs contain vitamin B6 (6% DV). This vitamin is important for brain development and the immune system. There is also vitamin K (phylloquinone) in figs (6% DV). Vitamin K is involved in the creation of prothrombin, which is necessary for normal blood clotting. Additionally, figs contain phosphorus (7% DV) and manganese (7% DV). These minerals, as well as vitamin K are important for bone health. Manganese is also reported to be an antioxidant.