Meet The Plant | Bell Peppers

Last updated on November 9th, 2021 at 02:37 pm

It is time for another “Meet the Plant” post, and today it will be all about bell peppers.

Did you know that sweet bell peppers are part of the nightshade family (which includes tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants)?  Bell peppers are rich in antioxidants that are a great benefit to heart and eye health.  The high vitamin C content of bell peppers supports collagen production.

What are bell peppers good for?

Skin and bone health
Bell peppers are rich in vitamin C which is necessary for collagen production.  Collagen is the main structural protein in the body that is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the blood vessels, skin, and bones.

Healthy eyes
Bell peppers are rich in a combination of beta-carotene, vitamin C, lutein, and zeaxanthin which supper healthy eyes.  Bell peppers have been shown to be protective against cataracts and age-related loss of vision.

Cardiovascular health
Different colors of bell peppers contain different levels of antioxidants like beta-carotene, capsanthin, quercetin, and luteolin, but all of them have been shown to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol.  Rich in antioxidants they can also play a role in preventing blood clot formations and therefore reduce the risk of a stroke.

Anticancer
Bell peppers (mostly red) contain cryptoxanthin, which may help prevent lung cancer in those at risk.

How to get the most from your bell peppers?

♦ Eat the red ones.  Red bell peppers have a significantly higher nutrient level (including lycopene) than green bell peppers.
♦ Cook some, eat some raw.  Cooking is known to lower the vitamin C content of green bell peppers while increasing the beta-carotene content.  Cooking red bell peppers increases their vitamin C level while lowering the beta-carotene content.  Yellow bell peppers are the highest in vitamin C.  Overall red bell peppers are the most nutritious when cooked.

What about all the colors?

Green bell peppers
Green bell peppers are an immature fruit that eventually ripens into a beautiful bright red color.  Even at the green stage, it contains twice as much vitamin C as orange bell peppers.

Red bell peppers
Red bell peppers contain the highest level of nutrients and antioxidants as any other colored pepper.

Yellow bell peppers
Yellow bell peppers contain three times more vitamin C than an orange.

 

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.