Bell peppers

What’s new and beneficial about bell peppers

• Bell peppers - especially varieties that mature into dazzling shades of yellow, orange, and red - are well-known for the carotenoid content. (These carotenoids are the nutrients that earn bell peppers a spot on our Top 15 list of foods for vitamin A.) A recent study analyzed the impact of freezing on bell pepper carotenoids with interesting results. They found good retention of these carotenoids after the bell peppers were cut and frozen for 6 months at a very low temperature (-20C/-4F). (Between 80-90% of each carotenoid was retained after freezing.) While we always encourage consumption of vegetables in fresh form, these solid carotenoid results after freezing are reason to consider freezing if it works better in meal planning.
• A study from Poland has recently compared differences in carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and vitamin C from bell peppers grown using organic standards versus more conventional cultivation methods. Both carotenoids and vitamin C were found to be about 10% higher in the organically grown bell peppers. Total phenolic acids were about 30% higher, yet flavonoids were about 7-8% lower. When the researchers did further analysis on the flavonoid results, they found some very interesting nutrient dynamics. One of the flavonoids - quercetin - was, as expected, measurably higher in the organically grown bell peppers (by about 10%, just like carotenoids and vitamin C). However, levels of another flavonoid - kaempferol- depended as much on the specific variety of bell pepper as the growing method. In this context, the researchers concluded that kaempferol might be a flavonoid not as sensitive to growing methods as some of its fellow flavonoids. Still, taken as a whole, this study provides further evidence about the benefits organically grown bell peppers. And it adds to the many reasons that we have always supported consumption of organically grown foods on our website.
• One of the many things we love about bell peppers is their amazing variety of colors. This wonderland of color is primarily due to their diverse array of color pigments, and especially their carotenoids. In this context, we were intrigued to find a recent study showing yellow bell peppers to have great total carotenoid content than red peppers, while at the same time determining red bell peppers to have greater amounts for two specific carotenoids, namely lutein and beta-carotene. This result is not surprising, since bell peppers are continually changing their synthesis of different carotenoids and other pigments as they mature. And not included in this study were the more deeply-shaded lilac, purple, and very deep purple (nearly black-shaded) bell peppers that also change their synthesis of anthocyanin pigments as they mature. Yet while expected, these results also remind us to take advantage of bell peppers in their full diversity of color.

Recommendations

Because many people are long-accustomed to finding green bell peppers in the produce section of the supermarket, we want to start our WHF Recommendations for bell peppers with these green varieties. Our outstanding level of green vegetable intake at WHF is 8 servings of green vegetables per day. A variety of days in our WHF Meal Plan provide this outstanding amount, without compromising the delicious balance of textures or flavors in our World’ Healthiest Foods Meal Plan Recipes. The many different types of green vegetables available to provide you with exceptional nourishment are nothing short of astonishing! Not only can you choose from dark green leafy vegetables from the cruciferous group (for example, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale, or collards), but also from the squash/gourd group (including zucchini and cucumber), the parsley/umbelliferous group (like fennel and celery), green allium vegetables like leeks, green lettuces like romaine, the asparagus group that includes asparagus, the leguminous vegetable group that includes both green peas and green beans, and of course green bell peppers. Rather than relying exclusively on any one of these green vegetable subgroups, we recommend that you consider including green vegetables across all of these subgroups when putting together your weekly meal plan.

Of course, bell peppers can be enjoyed in a wide variety of colors - including delightful shades of yellow and orange. If you are selecting bell peppers in this color category, you’ll want to count them as contributing to your yellow/orange vegetable intake. (For more details about yellow/orange vegetables, please see our Vegetable Advisor.) As a minimum daily goal for vegetable intake from the yellow/orange group, we recommend ½ cup per day. A more optimal intake level would be one cup per day. Of course, alongside of yellow and orange bell peppers, you will find carrots, sweet potatoes, yellow summer squash, and yellow corn available to help you reach your daily yellow-orange vegetable total.

If you opt for red or purple bell peppers instead of orange or yellow ones, we recommend that you treat bell peppers as part of the red/purple vegetable subgroup. Once again, you will find more information about this group in our Vegetable Advisor. Our minimum recommended intake level for this subgroup is ½ cup per day and our more optimal recommended intake is one cup. Beets, red red tomatoes, red and purple carrots, and eggplant would be examples of other vegetables in this red/purple subgroup.

Health benefits

Broad-based nutrient benefits from bell peppers

Bell peppers achieve 16 nutrient rankings. One cup of sliced red bell pepper (92g, 29 calories) provides vitamin C (157% DV), vitamin B6 (16% DV), and vitamin A (16% DV as carotenoids). Bell peppers rank among the most concentrated vegetable sources of vitamin C.

Bell peppers also provide folate (11% DV), molybdenum (10% DV), vitamin E (10% DV), and fiber (7% DV), with additional amounts of B vitamins, potassium, vitamin K, manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Beyond these conventional nutrients, bell peppers contain a diverse array of antioxidant phytonutrients:

Antioxidant benefits from phytonutrients in bell peppers

• Flavonoids
  • apigenin
  • hesperidin
  • isoscoparin
  • kaempferol
  • luteolin
  • quercetin
  • myricetin
  • quercetin
  • hesperidin
  • apigenin
  • orientin
  • isoscoparin
• Carotenoids
  • alpha-carotene
  • antheraxanthin
  • beta-carotene
  • capsanthin
  • capsorubin
  • cryptoflavin
  • cryptoxanthin
  • lutein
  • lycopene
  • vicenin
  • zeaxanthin
• Hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives
  • ferulic acid
  • chlorogenic acid
  • cinnamic acid
  • coumaric acid
• Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives

Nutritional profile

One cup (92g) at 29 calories provides vitamin C (157% DV), vitamin A (16% DV), vitamin B6 (16% DV), folate (11% DV), molybdenum (10% DV), vitamin E (10% DV). Additional nutrients include fiber (7% DV), vitamin B2 (6% DV), pantothenic acid (6% DV), vitamin B3 (6% DV), vitamin K (5% DV), manganese (4% DV), vitamin B1 (4% DV), potassium (4% DV), among others. Bell peppers are an outstanding source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. These phytonutrients include flavonoids (luteolin, quercetin, hesperidin) and hydroxycinnamic acids (especially ferulic and cinnamic acids). But the hallmark phytonutrient group found in bell peppers is the carotenoid family, with more than 30 different carotenoids being provided by this vegetable. Included in bell pepper carotenoids are alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin.

About bell peppers

A wonderful combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture, sweet bell peppers are the Christmas ornaments of the vegetable world with their beautifully shaped glossy exterior that comes in a wide array of vivid colors ranging from green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown to black. Despite their varied palette, all are the same plant, known scientifically as Capsicum annuum. They are members of the nightshade family, which also includes potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant. Sweet peppers are plump, bell-shaped vegetables featuring either three or four lobes. Green and purple peppers have a slightly bitter flavor, while the red, orange and yellows are sweeter and almost fruity. Paprika can be prepared from red bell peppers (as well as from chili peppers). Bell peppers are not ‘hot’. The primary substance that controls “hotness” in peppers is called capsaicin, and it’s found in very small amounts in bell peppers. Although peppers are available throughout the year, they are most abundant and tasty during the summer and early fall months.

An important message about bell peppers

We have placed nightshade vegetables (such as bell peppers) on our “10 Most Controversial WHF List.” This list was created to let you know that even though some foods (like bell peppers) can make an outstanding contribution to your meal plan, they are definitely not for everyone. Nightshade vegetables can be difficult to find in high-quality form; can be more commonly associated with adverse reactions than other foods; and can present more challenges to our food supply in terms of sustainability. More details about our 10 Most Controversial WHF can be found here.