Calories In Bell Peppers

By | February 23, 2011

Make your salads colorful and bright by adding chopped bell peppers of different colors. They come in yellow, green, orange, purple and red, and each colored bell pepper has its own unique taste and flavor. For instance, red bell peppers, which are nothing but fully ripe green bell peppers can be sweeter and have a milder flavor.  With just about 30 calories in bell peppers of medium size, dieters can choose to add bell peppers of two or three colors to their salads or stir fries and enjoy a filling dish. Those on a low-carb diet should, however, remember that most of the calories in bell peppers come from the carbohydrates they contain.

While calories in bell peppers may vary slightly from one color to another, it is universally accepted that they are an excellent source of dietary fiber. In addition to this, they contain iron, manganese, niacin, and potassium in considerable amounts in each serving. When eaten raw, the vitamins and nutrition in bell peppers are readily available to the body. Whether they are three, four or five lobed bell peppers, they are rich in vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C and vitamin E. A cup of raw red bell peppers may contain 45 calories, which is less than an orange, but what’s more interesting is that they contain four times more vitamin C than oranges do. Among the different kinds of bell peppers, red bell peppers score over the green ones since they contain eleven times more beta carotene.

With a smooth colorful skin and crunchy taste, scooped out bell peppers make for ideal edible containers for rice and dips and serve as individual salad bowls. For those who wonder how many calories in bell peppers they can consume, it is heartening to note that roasted bell peppers can be pureed and used in soups. Roasted or barbequed slices of bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and onions make for a filling dish when baked with a little cheese. Calories in yellow bell peppers and calories in orange bell peppers do not vary much, and one may be substituted for the other in any dish. For those not worried about calories in bell peppers, fried bell pepper rings and beef stuffed bell peppers are a treat.

Health benefits of consuming bell peppers include protection against rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts, and cardiovascular diseases. The combination of high levels of vitamin A and vitamin C, two powerful antioxidants, in bell peppers makes them very useful in the fight against free radicals and in lowering the risk of cancer and lung disease.