The well-known chef Carlos Maldonado recently went on LaSexta’s program Más Vale Tarde to prepare a recipe with hake, perfect for enjoying this fish in a much healthier way. In his recipe he included peppers, an ingredient that has been praised by the nutritionist Pablo Ojeda, who has thrown a very interesting fact about this vegetable.
The dietician and member of the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity, known by the general public for being the fashionable nutritionist on television, has assured that “peppers have 10 times more vitamin C than oranges”, a fact that very few people know and that, undoubtedly, can encourage its use in the kitchen.
Taking advantage of the occasion, the Sevillian recalled that vitamin C is necessary for the proper functioning of the immune system, so he recalled the importance of its presence in our diet.
An essential part of the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is highly recommended by experts for the numerous benefits it has for our health. One of the essential foods in it are the vegetables for their great nutritional value and their beneficial properties for the organism, among which we have to talk about peppers.
Peppers have become a fundamental part of the Mediterranean diet, both as an ingredient and as the main element of a recipe. In this way, we can use them in a classic stir-fry as well as in paellas, escalivadas or stuffed peppers. Depending on the region, they are used in different ways, but in all cases it is possible to enjoy their interesting properties.
The bell pepper is originally from South America, specifically from the area of Mexico, Peru and Bolivia, and arrived in Europe by the hand of Columbus after his return from America in 1493. In the 16th century, its cultivation had already spread throughout Spain, from where it spread to the rest of Europe and the world. Its arrival to the old continent meant a great culinary advance, since it came to complement and even replace another widely used condiment such as black pepper.
The health benefits of peppers
Bell pepper is a product widely used in our gastronomy, being part of traditional dishes, but also of the most avant-garde recipes. Beyond its flavor contribution, it is convenient to know the numerous benefits it has for health, among which the following should be highlighted:
- Low caloric intake: thanks to its high water content and its low caloric intake, peppers are a food to be taken into account when following diets or weight control and weight loss plans, although it will be necessary to use an appropriate cooking method. In addition, its fiber content provides a feeling of satiety, with the advantage that this means to lose weight.
- Antioxidants: peppers are rich in selenium, besides standing out for their content in provitamin A, vitamins C and E, and other carotenoids such as capsanthin. Thus, it helps to prevent cardiovascular diseases, as well as some types of cancer and degenerative pathologies.
- It favors diuresis: due to its richness in potassium and lack of sodium, it is a vegetable that favors diuresis. By increasing urine production, both liquids and waste substances are eliminated.
- Intestinal function: being a food rich in fiber, it has all the benefits it provides, including the prevention and improvement of constipation. In addition, it also helps to prevent diseases related to the gastrointestinal tract, some types of cancer, to reduce blood cholesterol levels and to better control blood glucose levels, especially in diabetics.
- Advantages for pregnant women and children: peppers are advisable in the diet of pregnant women because of their folate content. It is a vitamin that favors the proper development of the neural tube of the fetus, mainly in the first weeks of gestation. They also help prevent folate deficiencies in growing children, whose requirements are higher.
What are the differences between peppers according to their color?
In the kitchen we can find peppers of different colors, which has to do with their maturation phase, which implies a change in flavor and price. As they mature, peppers vary their nutritional composition, and although the green ones are already rich in vitamins and very healthy, as they mature they double their vitamin C content and increase up to nine times the beta-carotene, precursor of vitamin A. In any case, peppers are rich in antioxidants regardless of their color.
In this sense, it is important to know that green peppers are those that have not fully matured, and as they are harvested before the yellow or red ones, they are more economical. For its part, the yellow or orange bell pepper is in an intermediate stage of maturation, being sweeter than the previous one, but not as much as the red bell pepper, besides containing more vitamins and a greater nutritional contribution. Finally, we have the red bell pepper, which is the one that reaches a greater maturity, being the sweetest and the one that provides more nutrients, with higher content of vitamins and fiber, and rich in lycopene.
