The world is flooded with various varieties of peppers. Some peppers are sweet, and a few can set your taste buds on fire. Here we’ll talk about bell pepper. Most of you must have bell pepper in your meals regularly. Bell pepper is also used to furnish food at restaurants. Do you consider bell pepper as a vegetable?
Well, bell peppers are botanically a fruit. Isn’t it unbelievable? You might consider other fruits like eggplant as a vegetable too. Nevertheless, when you go through the definition of fruits, many vegetables are botanical fruits. You must want to learn more about bell pepper, its benefits, and its side effects.
So, without further fuss, read on.
Key Takeaways:
1- It is declared that Bell Pepper is a botanical fruit rather than a vegetable.
2- Here’s a quick insight into the nutritional facts of 100 g bell pepper.
| Nutrient | Quantity |
| Water | 92% |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Calories | 31 |
| Carbs | 6 gram |
| Fat | 0.3 g |
| Fiber | 2.1 g |
| Sugar | 4.2 g |
What Do You Know About Bell Pepper?
Bell pepper is named bell pepper due to its bell-like shape and structure. Sweet pepper is another name for bell pepper used by various folks. Are you still confused about why bell pepper is considered a fruit?
In Botany, you’ll see that the fruit is a creature that develops from the flower’s ovary and contains seeds. Therefore, the botanical definition of fruit illustrates that the bell pepper is also a fruit.
You can see bell peppers in numerous colors, including
- Red
- Green
- Yellow
- Orange
- Brown
- White
- Dark Purple
And many more. Red bell peppers are the most common among all variations.
Are Bell Peppers Annual or Perennial?
Bell peppers are undoubtedly perennial fruits. Most of you might have heard that bell peppers are annual, like tomatoes and eggplants. You can get fresh and healthified bell peppers in rich soil and warm temperatures.
Nevertheless, some kinds of bell peppers can also be cultivated annually. Annual bell peppers generally develop and thrive promptly in the spring. So, you’ll fetch the fruits in summer. Once the fall weather arrives, the yearly bell peppers will finish up.
Meanwhile, the Perennial bell peppers will sprout in the spring, but they will not produce fruit until the following year.
Nutritional Facts Of Bell Pepper
When it comes to nutritional facts, bell peppers contain more than 92% of water.
Vitamins & Minerals
You can get the following vitamins and minerals from bell peppers.
- Vitamin C
- Potassium
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin K1
- Folate
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
All of these components are beneficial for the maintenance of human health.
Carbs
Carbs are the primary component of bell peppers. A 100 g bell pepper will encompass almost 6 g of carbs. These carbohydrates, including glucose and fructose, are the main reasons bell peppers taste sweeter. A small amount of fiber is also present in bell peppers.
Carotenoids
Bell pepper also consists of a few antioxidants, including
- Capsanthin
- Violaxanthin
- Luteolin
- Lutein
- Quercetin
Here’s a quick insight into the nutritional facts of 100 g bell pepper.
| Nutrient | Quantity |
| Water | 92% |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Calories | 31 |
| Carbs | 6 gram |
| Fat | 0.3 g |
| Fiber | 2.1 g |
| Sugar | 4.2 g |
Benefits Of Bell Pepper
Bell pepper has a lot of benefits. Let’s jump in and see the boons of adding bell peppers to your daily routine.
1- Anemia Prevention
A diminished proficiency of your blood to transmit oxygen can cause anemia. When you go through the cause of anemia, the primary cause of anemia is a lack of Iron. Being an anemia patient, you can suffer through a lot of dizziness and deformity.
However, let it be more clear to you. Bell peppers are not the direct mean of iron. Peppers possess vitamins C, which helps to absorb iron from your gut.
You also add Vitamin C-rich foods to your meal. In this way, bell peppers help to prevent the risks of anemia.
2- Eye Health
Carotenoids help you keep your eye health maintained. The bell peppers contain zeaxanthin and lutein, which are highly affected in keeping your eyes healthful. The carotenoids preserve your retina, including the light-sensitive inner wall of your eye, from oxidative destruction.
Therefore, adding a considerable amount of carotenoids to your meal can protect you from numerous eye diseases. Are you thinking about which bell pepper is best for eye health?
According to various research, it has been claimed that the orange bell pepper has elevated levels of zeaxanthin. Meanwhile, Yellow peppers encompass high levels of lutein.
3- Arthritis Cure
Arthritis Foundation asserted that bell peppers might benefit from curtailing the hazard of expanding a few varieties of arthritis and different inflammatory health ailments.
The bell pepper is beneficial in treating or preventing arthritis due to the following factors.
- Presence of Beta-cryptoxanthin
- High vitamin C content.
Beta-cryptoxanthin is a carotenoid in red and orange peppers. Devouring it could diminish a person’s risk of evolving rheumatoid arthritis. Bell peppers may aid in maintaining bone and cartilage cells because of their high vitamin C levels.
Consuming less than the daily recommended intake of 75 mg of vitamin C for females, and 90 mg for males, could heighten the threat of osteoarthritis.
4- Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Disease
Bell peppers are also effective in reducing the risk of fatal diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disorders. As you know, bell peppers contain a variety of antioxidants.
These antioxidants will fight against the roots of illness and bless you with a healthy and sound life ahead.
The usual intake of antioxidants or carotenoids can heal your cell damage and decrease the hazard of various deadly ailments.
5- Cancer
You might not believe it, but bell peppers can also fight against cancer-causing carcinomas. Due to many reasons, cancer can develop in your body.
If you add bell pepper to your meals, the antioxidants of peppers will fight against benign or malignant tumors and prevent cancer risk.
So, add up these colorful botanical fruits to your routine and enjoy prosperous life ahead.
Bell Pepper Side Effects
Every beneficial thing has a few drawbacks. Here are the side effects of bell peppers.
1- Night-Shade Allergies
Bell peppers are considered part of nightshade vegetables. If you know about nightshade vegetables, you must understand that these nightshades may cause inflammation and cause allergic reactions in your gut.
Most of you must be suffering from stomach irritation by eating such foods. It is said that nightshades cause intolerance instead of allergies. With a bias, you may encounter some digestive problems after eating the food.
Nevertheless, an allergy can lead to more severe issues, such as breathing difficulties or a rash. You’ll be delighted to know these symptoms are hardly seen in bell pepper consumers.
Many of you may resist to claim that bell pepper belongs to the nightshade family. So, this side effect varies from person to person.
2- Bell Pepper Allergy
Bell pepper allergy depends on the people’s reaction to this botanical fruit. Allergies are varied in persons due to many reasons. If you’re allergic to bell pepper, you can visit your doctor and consult the situation.
Bell pepper allergies can cause skin rashes, intestinal disturbance, throat disorders, and many more. Therefore, analyze your allergies before coupling the bell pepper to your meal.
Exciting Facts About Bell Pepper
You might want to explore more about bell peppers. Here are some exciting facts about bell peppers that will blow your mind. So, without wasting a moment, here we proceed.
- Green bell peppers are the most inexpensive because you can pluck them before they change colors.
- China is the world’s no one originator of bell peppers, pursued by Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia, and the United States.
- Bell peppers have a recessive gene that abolishes capsaicin. This is why they are not spicy peppers.
- Bell peppers are also dubbed sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum.
- Bell peppers are primarily conceived in Central and South America.
- Green bell peppers are not ready and will continue to grow on the vine and turn a darker shade of green and then yellow, orange, red, or purple based on the variety.
- A red bell pepper has 300% more vitamin C than an orange. Maybe you should be sipping red bell pepper beverages.
- Bell peppers can be patch or pickled.
How To Cook Bell Peppers?
Bell peppers can be cooked in numerous ways according to your preferences. Here are the two most common ways to cook bell peppers, such as
1- Stuffed Peppers
Hollow out a pepper by pulling the core, and then replenish with a mixture of beans, cooked rice, tomato, and seasoning before baking in the oven until tender. Ground turkey or beef functions OK here.
2- Roasting
Eliminate the body of seeds from the bell peppers and cut or maintain them entirely. Later, Roast in a small percentage of oil in the oven. If the skin blackens, remove the bell pepper from the oven and spot it in a plastic bag to chill, which will help remove the skin.
Bottom Line
Presently, you have complete information about bell peppers. Now, you have got that bell peppers are botanical fruits. You also have the pros and cons of adding bell peppers to your meal table. If you’re allergic to bell peppers, you can avoid them. However, bell peppers are healthy to consume.