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Bell peppers are one of those versatile vegetables that go in everything from crisp, fresh Greek salads to low-carb pizza recipes. Either sauté them or throw them in a stir fry, bell peppers make a healthy snack and are a great way to enjoy your favourite dips and sauces. The vegetable comes in different colours like red, yellow, orange, and green.
Bell peppers belong to the nightshade family along with aubergines, tomatoes, and potatoes. Notably, the nutritional contribution of bell peppers depends on their colour. Red bell peppers supply more potassium, vitamin C, and folate than yellow, orange, or green bell peppers. Moreover, immature green peppers are significantly richer in their protective plant compounds known as polyphenols.
Bell peppers are easy to make. You can add it to any dish like pizza or sautéed vegetable salad. Whether you’re having it grilled or fried or sometime dried and powdered, the bell peppers contribute to high nutritional value. Bell peppers are rich in water and carbs. Most of the carbs are sugars, such as glucose and fructose. They also have a decent source of fibre. Besides, they are high in Vitamin C, along with other minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin K1, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, folate and potassium.
Moreover, bell peppers taste ranges from sweet to bitter depending upon their colour. Green bell peppers are nothing but unripe red bell peppers. They are slightly bitter in taste. Whereas red, yellow or orange bell peppers are sweet in taste due to the presence of ample amount of glucose and fructose.
If you’re a fan of bell peppers and want to incorporate them into your meal, you must know the several health benefits of the colourful vegetable. Here are some of the health benefits of bell peppers:
1. Reduce The Risk Of Cataracts And Macular Degeneration
Poor nutrition plays an important role in the development of age-related sight loss. Two carotenoids called lutein and zeaxanthin, when eaten in sufficient amounts, improve eyesight. They protect the retina from oxidative damage. Red bell peppers are rich in carotenoids as well as vitamin C. Eating bell peppers thus helps in protecting eyesight and reducing the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
2. Reduces Anaemia
This is one of the most common diseases among women and girls of reproductive age. Anaemia is the result of a lack of oxygen in the blood caused by an iron deficiency. Bell peppers supply a modest amount of iron and are loaded with vitamin C. Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron in the gut. Besides, bell peppers contain vitamin B6, which is needed to make haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen throughout the body.
3. Protection Against Certain Chronic Diseases
Bell peppers are rich in antioxidants, which help protect against conditions like heart disease and cancer. They also supply a good amount of polyphenols, which contain protective plant compounds like lutein, quercetin, and capsanthin, the latter being rich in ripe bell peppers.
4. Boosts Immunity
Bell peppers contain a high amount of vitamin A, which helps strengthen our immune system. It is said that vitamin A can protect us from infectious diseases. According to the Annual Review of Nutrition, vitamin A deficiency prevents our ability to absorb nutrients through the regeneration of certain intestinal barriers after infection.
5. Lowers Blood Sugar Levels
Bell peppers are associated with controlling blood sugar levels in the body. The presence of polyphenols in bell peppers has a beneficial influence on blood sugar and appears to reduce the risk of diabetes.
