Red Bell Pepper

Red Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum)

There is a fact worth opening with, because it contradicts a common intuition: a red bell pepper contains three times more vitamin C than an orange. 127.7 mg per 100 grams compared with 53 mg — meaning one medium bell pepper provides almost twice the daily value, for 45 calories. In Israel the bell pepper is known as “גמבה” (gamba).

And a second fact that also surprises many people: green and red bell peppers are the same fruit. The green one was simply picked earlier. The time it stayed on the plant is the entire nutritional difference between them.

Nutrition facts per 100 grams

For comparison, per 100 grams: orange — 53 mg of vitamin C. Kiwi — 92 mg. Broccoli — 89 mg. Red bell pepper — 128 mg. Yellow bell pepper — 183 mg.

Green, yellow, red — the same fruit at different stages

The green bell pepper is an unripe fruit. When it stays on the plant, it goes on to turn yellow, orange and finally red, and along the way three things happen:

• The chlorophyll breaks down and carotenoids build up in its place — mainly capsanthin, the red pigment unique to the Capsicum family, alongside beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and lutein.
• The vitamin C content rises — from 80 mg in green to 128 in red and 183 in yellow.
• Sugar rises and bitterness falls — which is why red is sweet and green tastes sharp and bitter.

This is also the reason for the price: the red fruit occupied space on the plant for longer.

And what a bell pepper doesn’t have: capsaicin. The sweet bell pepper is the only variety of Capsicum annuum with almost no capsaicin — the compound responsible for the heat in chili peppers and hot peppers. A bell pepper is not “a mild version of a hot pepper”; it is a variety bred for a complete absence of heat.

Vitamin C and cooking — how much is left

Vitamin C is the bell pepper’s strongest nutrient, and also the most vulnerable: water-soluble, heat-sensitive and oxidized by air.

The conclusion: if you want the vitamin, you need to eat some of the bell pepper raw. If you cook it, you haven’t lost everything: the carotenoids (vitamin A, capsanthin, zeaxanthin) are actually released better by cooking, because heat breaks down the cell wall.

The practical conclusion: eat both — raw slices in a salad and roasted bell pepper in a hot dish — and make sure there is fat in the meal, because carotenoids are fat-soluble.

Benefits

• An exceptional amount of vitamin C: 142% of the daily value per 100 grams in red, and 204% in yellow. Supports collagen production, immune function and the absorption of non-heme iron.
• Carotenoids: capsanthin (unique to Capsicum), beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and lutein — the last two accumulate in the macula of the eye.
• Vitamin A: 17% of the daily value in red, compared with only 2% in green.
• Vitamin B6: 17% — important for amino acid metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis.
• Vitamin E: 11% per 100 grams — a relatively high figure for a low-fat vegetable.
• Low energy density: 31 calories per 100 grams, 92% water.
• Low FODMAP — well tolerated by people with irritable bowel syndrome, unlike many other vegetables.
• Boosts iron absorption. Bell pepper in a salad with lentils, tofu or chickpeas significantly improves the use of plant iron.

Downsides and considerations

• Loss of vitamin C in cooking — as detailed above.
• Pesticide residues. Bell peppers regularly appear on lists of vegetables with relatively high pesticide residues, partly because the skin is eaten rather than peeled. Thorough washing is important; if you choose organic, this is a category where it is more relevant than in others.
• Nightshades. The bell pepper belongs to the nightshade family along with the tomato, eggplant and potato. The claim that nightshades worsen arthritis is not well supported by controlled trials; there are personal reports, but it is not a blanket recommendation.
• Digesting the skin. Bell pepper skin is made of cellulose that is hard to break down, and some people experience discomfort. Peeling after charring over a flame or roasting in the oven solves this completely.
• Cross-allergy. People allergic to mugwort pollen or to latex sometimes report a reaction to bell peppers.
• Price. Red is significantly more expensive than green — because it spent longer on the plant.

Practical use

• Eat some of it raw. Slices in a salad, in a sauce or as a dipper — this is the only way to get the full 127 mg of vitamin C.
• Roast the rest. Roasting or charring over a flame breaks down cell walls, concentrates sweetness and releases carotenoids. Combining both methods on the same day gives you the best of both worlds.
• With fat. Olive oil, tahini or avocado — a condition for absorbing the carotenoids.
• In a salad with legumes — to improve absorption of plant iron.
• Wash well, and consider organic in this category.
• Peel after charring if you have digestive sensitivity.
• Choose one that is heavy and firm for its size, with a fresh green stem and glossy skin with no soft spots or wrinkles.
• Red or yellow — for eating raw, both are excellent and yellow is even richer in vitamin C. Green suits those who prefer a less sweet taste, at the cost of eight times less vitamin A.
• Freeze it cut up — bell pepper freezes very well for use in stews, though the texture changes.

Summary

The red bell pepper is one of the best sources of vitamin C in the entire vegetable aisle — 142% of the daily value for 31 calories, three times more than an orange — and alongside it carotenoids, vitamin B6 and vitamin E. Two practical points: green and red are the same fruit at different stages of ripeness, and the nutritional difference between them is real (eight times the vitamin A); and vitamin C is heat-sensitive — to get it you need to eat some of the bell pepper raw, while the carotenoids are best eaten roasted and with fat.