Diet Food Reviews

Bell Peppers

By: Tanya Patrice | Aug 3, 2006

I often say that I don't like vegetables, but now that I think about it, that's not really true. There are many vegetables that I don't particularly care for but then there are a few out there that I really like and eat often (which I have reviewed), including lettuce, cucumbers and Bell Peppers. I love the taste of bell peppers - slightly sweet, slightly tart and always juicy - not hot and spicy at all, which is what you would expect from something with the word 'pepper' in its name. I love the variety of colors that they come in - green, red and yellow. The difference in color is due to the stage of ripeness, i.e. a red bell pepper is a more mature than a green bell pepper, and a yellow bell pepper is more mature than a yellow bell pepper. They are also always reasonably priced, and always available in abundance at grocery stores.

They are many ways to incorporate bell peppers into foods. Some of my favorite ways include:
* Add to a salad to get that 'crunch' factor.
* Chop into small pieces and use as an ingredient. For example, I started incorporating bell peppers into my scrambled eggs after I saw a friend from the Bahamas do it. The taste of the omlette was amazing and the bell peppers just adds a little something extra to it.
* Stuffed Bell Peppers. Cut the bell pepper into big pieces and use as a 'boat' for tuna or chicken salad. The picture on the right is of bell peppers stuffed with tuna (and red beans) made by my dad who is an 'experimental cook.'

The best thing about bell peppers has to be the nutrition. I knew they were healthy because colorful fruits have carotenoids which are micronutrients with antioxidant properties. But I didn't know that 1 medium bell pepper only has 30 calories, no fat and only 4 grams of sugars. There is 47% vitamin A in a red bell pepper, but only 5% in yellow and green. There is 230% vitamin C in red and yellow bell peppers and 112% in the green ones.

Remember, we are supposed to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each and every day! If you usually pass on bell peppers when you go to the supermarket, stop by and give them a try!
[Photo Credit: Hannah Chapman]

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