The Great Antioxidant Caper

The other day I told you about the new line of Swiss Miss hot chocolate — claiming to be good for you because it’s been fortified with vitamins and other nutrients. While it would be nice to get the nutrition you need in a cup of cocoa, it’s just not that simple. But that’s not to say there aren’t functional foods out there. And, like a lot of good things in life, some of the best ones come in small packages.

For instance, recent research shows that capers — the little bulbs you probably barely notice in your chicken piccata — offer a great deal of antioxidant protection. In fact, according to the study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, capers have an antioxidant effect comparable to vitamin E.

And, no, the researchers didn’t ask subjects to eat pounds of them in order to get these benefits. Actually, they measured the antioxidant capacity in a typical serving (around 8 grams) of capers added to ground turkey that had been grilled — a meal I know I’d consider eating anyway, with or without the added health benefits.

Capers are available in any supermarket or natural food store, usually near the pickles and olives.

Sources:

“Little capers pack a big antioxidant punch,” FoodNavigator (www.foodnavigator.com), 10/19/07

“Bioactive components of caper (Capparis spinosa L.) from Sicily and antioxidant effects in a red meat simulated gastric digestion,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2007; 55(21):8,465-8,471