Bell peppers are a single vegetable that changes color as it ripens from green to yellow, orange, and red. Ripening increases nutritional value, with red peppers offering substantially higher beta-carotene and vitamin C compared with green peppers. A cup of diced bell peppers provides about 190 milligrams of vitamin C, roughly three times that of a medium orange. Riper red peppers also contain greater levels of antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, supporting immune function, vision, skin, and brain health. Green, yellow, and orange peppers retain distinct characteristics, including lower sugar levels in green peppers.
It may come as a surprise, but all bell peppers are actually the same exact vegetable (or technically a fruit), but it changes colors as it ripens. It starts off green and then transitions through yellow and orange, and finally to red. That ripening process is not simply a fun aesthetic. It significantly boosts the nutritional value as it evolves through the rainbow journey.
In fact, that bright-red beauty carries nearly 11 times more beta-carotene and 1.5 times more vitamin C than its green counterpart. It also harbors more vitamin C than what's often considered the citrus C-queen, oranges. A single cup of diced bell peppers carries 190 milligrms of vitamin C, 3 times more than an standard medium-sized orange. Bell peppers are also full of antioxidants, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, and again, the riper the pepper (red versus green), the higher the antioxidant content.
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