Health Benefits of Bell Peppers

Bell Peppers’ Bounty Of Benefits

BelI peppers are highly nutritious vegetables. This vegetable belongs to the capsicum annum family and is also known as sweet pepper. Bell peppers have a characteristic bell shape with a crunchy, thick and fleshy texture. They are comparatively less pungent than green capsicums and for the same reason bell peppers are used as a common vegetable. Peppers were mainly consumed in the American region and spread to rest of the world by the 16th and 17th centuries by Spanish and Portuguese settlers.

Red bell peppers are possibly, the most common sweet peppers. Their vibrant colour, as well as fairly sweet taste, makes them ideal for salads. They taste less grassy when compared to a majority of peppers and turn to silk whenever roasted, Yellow peppers may be used just like red or even orange peppers. They’re sweet, yet have a milder flavour. They roast well. much like red peppers and maintain their lovely yellow colour when cooked.

Nutritional Facts

Bell peppers not only add colour and crunch to dishes, they are also a source of many valuable nutrients, fibre and antioxidants. Bell peppers are low in calories and fat and high in moisture. They are also a good source of vitamin C which helps in controlling infections. Red, yellow and orange bell peppers are also rich in carotenoids, Carotenoids are the pigments which give the bright hue to these delicious vegetables They contain concentrated amounts of beta- carotene.

In our body, beta-carotene gets converted to retinol which plays a vital role in maintaining eye and skin health. Beta- carotene also has antioxidant properties which reduce heart and cancer related problems.

Vibrant red bell peppers get their colour because of the presence of a pigment called lycopene which helps fight against oxidative stress and also has properties that prevent prostate cancer and heart diseases. Bell peppers also contribute a good amount of fibre when consumed and this aids in lowering blood pressure. cholesterol, reduces inflammation and also slows down the absorption of sugar. Thereby, it also maintains blood sugar levels.

Health Benefits

Controls Heart Disease
Bell Peppers are rich in vitamin A and vitamin C. With their antioxidants properties, peppers can reduce the inflammation in arteries that cause cardiovascular disease, as well as reduce cholesterol levels and diabetic issues. The vitamin B 6 and foliate present in them, also helps in fighting cardiovascular disease. Despite being high in fibre bell peppers keep strokes away and cut down levels of cholesterol. They are important for people looking for low fat foods, as fatty foods are a cause of these illnesses.

Burns Fat
Bell peppers can raise metabolic process through thermogenesis that helps burn fat. Hot peppers contain capsaicin, which is a chemical that makes peppers hot and helps in melting away calories, Adding some salsa to your eggs is not just beneficial to health, but also the metabolic system.

Protects Skin
Sweet peppers protect your skin from UVB rays and its effects. The skin gets affected by UVB rays, which leads to premature ageing and even skin cancer. Capsaicin in sweet peppers reduces UVB-induced damage when utilized on the surface of the skin.

Reduces Inflammation
The capsaicin present in hot peppers is good for reducing inflammation, which when used by arthritis patients reduces the pain as well. Sweet peppers have a similar type of capsaicin known as capsiate which is not pungent but ¡s a strong anti-inflammatory agent.

Provides Pain Relief
Capsaicin lotions made from hot peppers lessen pain in those suffering from arthritis, muscle ache and can be applied on aching joints. For people having difficulty with tablets, topical pain killers are an easy way out.

Minerals And Vitamins
Bell peppers are good sources of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B 6. vitamin K, choline and foliate They are filled with potassium. magnesium, calcium and phosphorus.

Good For Lungs
Bell peppers have a huge number of antioxidants that detox the body. The beta-carotene, carotenoid antioxidant, is known to protect lungs from disease and research shows that people with emphysema have vitamin A insufficiency.

Good For Healthy Eyesight
The other health benefit of bell peppers is their ability to strengthen eyesight. The antioxidants luteins and zeaxanthin help in preventing macular drop, which is loss of vision due to age-related issues. Bell peppers also help prevent cataract.

Aids Weight Loss
Low in calories, research shows that a cupful of bell peppers have only 22-25 calories. This vegetable can help anyone who wants to shed weight.

Repels Insects
Bell peppers are utilized in pest repellents which safeguard your garden from unwanted pests.

Bell peppers contribute a good amount of fibre when consumed and this aids in lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, reduces inflammation and also slows down the absorption of sugar

An excellent mixture of hot and sweet flavours, bell peppers are incredibly flexible plants, can be easily grown and are therefore versatile vegetables. They can be added to a variety of dishes as they not only add crunch and flavour but are also abundant with nutritional vitamins as well as dietary fibre.

 

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