Hey there, viewers!
We love adding bell peppers to pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and rice.
It’s a must if you like your food hot and sweet.
But that’s not everything bell peppers do.
Aside from being delicious, they also have a ton of nutrients.
In today's video, we’re discussing the secret effects of eating bell peppers.
Can they give you a sharper memory?
Maybe elevate your mood?
How about boosting your immunity?
We’re talking all that AND more!
But before we get into it, here’s some interesting trivia about bell peppers…
Contrary to popular belief, bell peppers are fruits and not vegetables.
They belong to the nightshade family just like chili peppers and tomatoes.
Eating them raw or cooked tastes delicious.
The green types are the unripe versions of red bell peppers.
Yellow and orange varieties are found midway somewhere in the process of ripening.
Bell peppers can also be dried like chili peppers and stored in the form of powders.
This is how we get paprika.
The paprika powder can be hot, sweet, or even smoked.
A sprinkle of it is enough to elevate your dish to new heights.
Do you love the deep reddish-orange color that paprika gives to your food?
How often do you use it in cooking?
Sound off in the comments section and start a conversation with our Bestie community...
Now let's see what nutrients are hiding inside a single bell pepper.
A fresh, uncooked bell pepper will have almost 92% water.
Which makes peppers great for staying hydrated.
You will get 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein, and absolutely zero fat from 100 grams of
peppers.
Calorie wise, you will get a little over 30 calories from red bell pepper.
It also has a lot of vitamins and minerals.
One vitamin you’ll get in bell peppers is vitamin C, and lots of it!
Just a medium-sized bell pepper completes 169% of the daily intake of Vitamin C. And
that brings us to our secret benefits of bell peppers.
Your brain may become sharper
We just talked about how bell peppers over-deliver on Vitamin C. Increasing the cognitive function
of your brain is one of the major roles of Vitamin C.
Researchers have stressed the importance of Vitamin C being included in a regular diet.
A long-term study also showed that Vitamin C did not cause a severe or even mild form
of cognitive impairment.
That’s enough of a reason right there to start adding more bell peppers to your diet.
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2.
Enhances your eye health
If you want to keep your eyesight even as you get older, you need to start eating more
bell peppers.
Two magic ingredients found in bell peppers called Lutein and Zeaxanthin (zee-uh-zan-thin)
do the trick.
Both of these are carotenoids, and are found in Vitamin A.
We see so many elderly people getting surgery on their cataracts.
This comes with age-related degeneration.
Vitamin A can slow the progression of these diseases, and protect your eyes from infections.
Retina, the part of your eye that allows you to see is fortified by this Vitamin.
By including these tasty bell peppers in your diet, you can safeguard the health of your
retina from oxidative damage.
Before we move ahead, here’s another video you might like.
Have you been getting enough calcium?
Watch and learn more about the 19 signs you’re suffering from calcium deficiency.
Now back to our discussion on the benefits of bell peppers...
3.
Great for anemics
If you have anemia, you’re bound to feel tired.
This is because of the reduced amount of oxygen your blood is carrying.
As a result, your body’s tissues aren’t getting the oxygen they need.
The less oxygen your tissues are getting, the weaker your body will feel.
One of the most common forms of anemia is iron deficiency anemia.
You can reverse the symptoms of anemia if you up the iron content in your diet.
But here comes the twist, iron cannot be absorbed in your body without Vitamin C. Bell peppers
have a decent source of iron in them, along with a truckload of Vitamin C. So all in all,
bell peppers are a win-win deal.
Folate or vitamin B9 is also present in bell peppers.
It’s very important for the development of unborn babies, and is a must for pregnant
women.
Vitamin B6 helps form red blood cells and Vitamin K1 heals your wounds quicker.
Both these vitamins are present in capsicum.
To sum it up, capsicum is great for almost everything blood-related.
4.
Excellent mood elevators
This is something that very few people will expect out of bell peppers.
Who knew peppers could make you happier?
Studies have shown that enough bell pepper can improve your mood and keep you away from
depression.
This is due to the vitamin B6.
However, the level of this vitamin is not significant enough to treat depression on
its own.
So the next time you feel grouchy, you know what to do!
Just grab a couple of bell peppers, chop them up and stir-fry them to lift your mood.
5.
Helps you lose weight
Let’s talk about capsanthin (caps-anne-thin) for a second.
This is one of the star ingredients of bell peppers.
This chemical is also found in capsicums like cayenne peppers, chilis, and paprika.
Capsanthin is shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which allow you to lose weight.
A recent study in mice found out that capsanthin not only reduced the body weight in mice,
but also decreased the levels of bad cholesterol and glucose in the blood.
This means that bell peppers can save you from obesity, diabetes, and heart problems
in the future.
Even if you’re just trying to get in shape, bell peppers can contribute.
6.
Lowers blood pressure Bell peppers get their signature color from
a compound called quercetin.
This pigment is very powerful.
It helps fight cancer, heart disease, and blood pressure.
It’s also a known antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory compound.
There are animal studies that show how quercetin reduces blood pressure by almost 23% in just
5 weeks.
But more research is needed to see if this works on humans.
7.
Boosts your immunity
Being that we’re still in a pandemic, this one is particularly important.
If you’re going to beat a cold, flu or virus, you need a strong immune system.
Luckily, bell peppers can do the trick.
Researchers believe that capsicum has a good percentage of Vitamin A, and can guarantee
you a great immune system.
This vitamin plays an important role in the formation of many disease-fighting cells.
These cells go to battle against disease.
If you don’t have enough Vitamin A, your body won’t be able to absorb the nutrients
required for the regeneration.
This spells bad news for your body if you get an infection.
Even if bell peppers aren’t your thing, you can’t say no to this benefit.
So What Are Some Great Ways To Eat Bell Peppers?
Cut your bell peppers into long slices.
They should almost look like fingers.
Lightly saute them in olive oil.
You can even grill them up, and have them with dip.
Hummus is my personal favorite.
This crunchy snack goes great on a veggie platter.
It’s also terrific with recipes like fajitas, tacos, nachos and salsas.
Variety is the spice of life…
No pun intended.
Bell peppers are a really great addition to a healthy diet.
But there are foods you need to cut out.
Have I sparked your interest?
Let’s keep the conversation going with a couple more food-related videos, shall we?
Here are 11 foods that can kill you.
You can also try our video on 15 morning drinks you need to have for a refreshing day.
Go ahead, click one.
Or better yet, watch both, and learn more about how to improve your diet.
What is your favorite way to eat bell peppers?
Let us know in the comments below!