Bell peppers are a popular vegetable found in diverse cuisines all over the world. Peppers lend a delightful sweetness to fajitas, pasta, and curries – to name only a few popular dishes which include this delicious veggie.
In this article, we’ll answer every question you have about bell peppers. First, we’ll tackle whether or not the colour of your bell pepper makes a difference. Next, we’ll look at the health benefits of bell peppers and then explain their drawbacks. Finally, we’ll talk you through the bell pepper’s nutritional profile, so you can see this vegetable’s vitamin content yourself.
Do bell pepper colours matter?
Because orange, yellow, and red peppers were once green peppers. Who knew! There are no unique species of green pepper. Green peppers are just unripe yellow, orange, or red peppers. The reason green peppers don’t taste sweet is that they haven’t had time to absorb natural sugars as part of the ripening process.
All other peppers have a similarly sweet flavour. Despite the colour differences, peppers share a nutritional profile rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6 and vitamin A.
Benefits of bell peppers
Bell peppers are associated with health benefits, including:
- Support eye health. Peppers enjoy a deep colour thanks to their lutein and zeaxanthin content, two pigments which are shown to protect eyes against age-related degeneration.1
- Protect against anaemia. Bell peppers help counteract one of the leading causes of anaemia, iron deficiency, thanks to their high vitamin C content, which enhances the body’s ability to absorb iron.2
- Support normal blood pressure. Bell peppers are packed with healthy antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, which have been connected with reduced blood pressure.3,4
Drawbacks of bell peppers
Most people can enjoy bell peppers with no problems. However, in rare instances, people who experience hay fever may find their symptoms flare up when they eat peppers.5
Parts of bell peppers share a similar chemical structure to the compounds within pollen that cause allergic responses. This is known as an allergic cross-reaction, and that’s why some people with hay fever occasionally experience discomfort after eating bell peppers.
Allergies of bell peppers themselves are so rare that they’re undocumented in the scientific literature.
Bell pepper nutritional profile
An average 92g bell pepper contains:6
- 157% of your daily recommended vitamin C. Vitamin C supports maintenance of normal , blood vessels, bones, and immune function.7
- 16% of your daily recommended vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 helps the body expend the energy gathered from food sources and normal red blood cell formation.8
- 16% of your daily recommended vitamin A. Vitamin A encourages healthy immune functions and supports normal vision and skin.9
Last updated: 29 October 2020
Sources
1 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23571649/
2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18400710/
3 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15186108/
4 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22332099/
5 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9825999/
6 http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=50
7 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/
8 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/
9 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-a/
