Bell Pepper Nutrition Facts

Bell pepper or capsicum is famous for its high vitamin C content. Yellow, green and red bell pepper are among the most commonly found varieties. The nutritional values also vary with color. Let’s find some more interesting nutrition facts about this nightshade vegetable.

Bell pepper belongs to the nightshade family and its botanical name is Capsicum Annum. It is commonly known as capsicum and sweet pepper. They are found in abundance in the summer season. Although this vegetable is found in all parts of the world, their origin is South America. They have a very typical shape and are found in different colors like green, yellow, red, purple, brown and black. The most commonly found are the yellow, green and red bell pepper. The nutritional value of all the varieties differ from each other. So, let’s find out some more bell pepper nutrition info with its health benefits.

Facts About Bell Pepper Nutrition

As we all know, there are different varieties of bell peppers available in the market, and people usually get confused which one to select among them. Like the color, the nutritional value of the bell pepper also varies depending upon the variety of the bell pepper. The color change may also be a result of the age, as the green bell pepper changes to red color on ripening. Following is some of the bell pepper nutritional information, which will help you to understand bell pepper and its benefits more closely.

• Bell peppers are a great source of vitamins. They are rich in vitamin C, A, E, B6 and K. Among all the bell peppers, red bell pepper contains the highest amount of vitamin C, followed by yellow and green.
• They have the least amount of saturated fats and cholesterol. This makes it healthy and a safe option for the people suffering from cardiovascular problems.
• Although the red bell pepper is the ripe form of green bell pepper, one of the most important nutrition facts is that red bell pepper has 10 times more beta carotene than the green one.
• They are also rich in many minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, molybdenum, potassium, etc.

Bell Pepper Nutrition Data

How to Select and Store Bell Pepper

It is not true that you should go for only the red one because they are highest in nutritional value. Others too have a good amount of nutritional values. Select the ones which are shiny and solid. Shrunken and light weighted bell peppers should not be used as they are not fresh. Check for dark spots, blemishes and water soaked areas. Although bell peppers have a definite shape, any change in the shape will not harm the nutritional values of the bell pepper. If you want to store bell pepper for a long time then avoid washing it. Buy it from the market and directly keep it inside the refrigerator. They can also be frozen and kept for a long time, but remember not to cut them as more exposure to air will reduce the nutritional content and flavor.

Health Benefits of Bell Pepper

They are many health benefits of bell pepper. Following are some of the health benefits of bell pepper.

• Bell pepper is very high in vitamins which are well-known for their antioxidant properties. This helps in reducing cardiovascular problems.
• Bell peppers are high in carotene. Researches have shown that the people who have low amount of carotene are at a greater risk of cancer than others. Hence introducing bell pepper in your diet will reduce many such conditions.
• Red bell pepper is very high in vitamin A which is considered good for the eyesight.
• Although nightshade vegetables are considered dangerous for the people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, researches have shown that bell pepper can give relief to the people who are suffering from arthritis.

Include bell peppers in your diet and try out different types of bell pepper recipes. The people who are allergic to this nightshade vegetable should consult the doctor before including it in the regular meal.