3 tasty reasons to add more peppers to your diet

Including peppers in your meals not only adds flavour, but a ton of health benefits. Here's just three reasons why they should be a staple in your cooking and diet.

• Volume for volume, peppers are a better source of vitamin C than citrus fruits.
• One medium green pepper provides more than 100 percent of the adult Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C.
• A green pepper supplies only about 45 RE (Retanol Equivalents) of beta carotene, compared to 438 RE of beta carotene in red peppers.
• Peppers supply smaller amounts of vitamin B6 and folate.

• Deeply coloured peppers are high in biofla­vo­noids, plant pigments that help prevent cancer.
• They're also contain high amounts of phenolic acids, which inhibit the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines.
• Deeply-coloured peppers are also loaded with plant sterols, precursors of vitamin D. These are believed to protect against cancer.
• Peppers also supply lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants linked to a reduced risk of macular degeneration.

• The four-lobed bell peppers are the most common of the sweet varieties in North America.
• Depend­­­­­ing on­ the degree of ripeness, peppers range in colour from green to yellow to red.
• Those picked while green will not become red because peppers ripen only on the vine.
• Peppers grow sweeter as they ripen. Red ones are sweeter than yellow ones, and yellow ones are sweeter than green ones.
• Other varieties of peppers include banana peppers, cubanelles and orange-red pimientos.

• Peppers can be steamed, roasted, stuffed and baked or served raw in a salad.
• They're delicious served alongside other vegetables and a delicious low-fat dip.
• Steaming, stir-frying and other fast cooking methods don't significantly lower their nutritional value.

Peppers are loaded with vitamins and disease-fighting properties, but that's not the only reason to eat them. Peppers, it turns out, are delicious and can add flavour to almost any dish.