benefits of capers

Capers add bold and vibrant flavor to your meals the small, pickled flower buds contain mustard oil, so even a few capers impart big taste. Cooking with capers adds interest to your meal without adding a lot of calories each tablespoon contains just two calories. Capers provides some health benefits due to their modest nutrient content, which helps you reach your recommended daily intake of a few essential nutrients. However, due to their high salt content, you should consume them in moderation.

Capers are in fact very low in calories, 23 calories per 100 g. However, this spice bud contains many phytonutrients, anti oxidants and vitamins essential for most likely can find these beautiful tiny olive green buds filled in a narrow tall glass jar submerged in their pickling medium in the spice stores and groceries. Pickled capers are readily available around the year in the markets.

Capers, its tender shoots, as well as immature berries are used in cooking. Raw buds have neutral flavor and need to be processed in pickling medium to develop unique piquant, tangy flavor.

Like many other plant based foods, capers contain fiber, a type of carbohydrate. Your body cant digest fiber, and the nutrient helps to fill your stomach, soften your stools and prevent constipation without adding calories to your food. Fiber may also help prevent disease following a diet rich in the fiber lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease, reports the Harvard School of Public Health. A tablespoon of capers contains 0.3 grams of fiber, about 3 percent of your minimum recommended daily fiber intake.

Capers contain vitamin K, an essential fat soluble vitamin. This nutrient promotes bone growth to help keep your bones healthy and strong, and plays a role in blood coagulation a process important for preventing excessive bleeding. Vitamin K also aids in cell growth, and plays a role in the development of your cartilage and nervous system. Each tablespoon of capers boosts your vitamin K intake by 2 micrograms. This provides approximately 2 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin K.

Capers are a modest plant source of iron, an essential mineral. Iron aids in oxygen transport it ensures that your red blood cells can carry enough oxygen to nourish tissues throughout your body. Getting enough iron also helps your cells make energy to support your day to day functions, and iron aids in cell growth and development. A tablespoon of capers contains 0.14 milligrams of iron, 2 percent of the daily iron requirements for men or 1 percent for women, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.

Eating capers significantly boosts your intake of sodium, so people sensitive to salt should avoid eating a lot of capers. Just a tablespoon of the buds contains 238 milligrams of sodium, or 16 percent of the adequate intake of sodium. Eating foods rich in salt increase your blood pressure, and a diet rich in salt can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Individuals who already suffer from high blood pressure should limit their sodium intake, and should practice portion control when eating capers to avoid overconsuming salt.

Capers are one of the plant sources high in flavonoid compounds rutin (or rutoside) and quercetin. Capers are in fact very rich source of quarcetin (180 mg/100 g) second only to tea leaf. Both these compounds are powerful anti oxidants. Research studies suggest that quercetin has anti bacterial, anti carcinogenic, analgesic and anti inflammatory properties.

The spicy buds contain healthy levels of vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin K, niacin, and riboflavin. Niacin helps lower LDL cholesterol. Furthermore, minerals like calcium, iron, and copper are present in them. High sodium levels are because of added granular sea salt (sodium chloride).

Caper parts have been used to relieve rheumatic pain in traditional medicines. The spicy caper pickles traditionally added to recipes as appetite stimulant. In addition, they help relieve stomachache and flatulence conditions. Capers are one of the plant sources high in flavonoid compounds rutin (or rutoside) and quercetin. Capers are in fact very rich source of quarcetin (180 mg/100 g) second only to tea leaf. Both these compounds are powerful anti oxidants. Research studies suggest that quercetin has anti bacterial, anti carcinogenic, analgesic and anti inflammatory properties.