People are only just realising one colour of bell pepper is healthier than the rest
The colour of the bell pepper you buy could determine how healthy it is.
Bell peppers come in a variety of different colours. You can pick them up in green, yellow, orange, or red, and for many of us, which one we choose is largely just a visual preference. For example, if you're adding pepper to a salad you might want to opt for a vibrant yellow or orange to add some colour to your dish, while cooking a tomato-based pasta sauce might call for a red one to blend with the other ingredients.
But did you know that the colour of your bell pepper is actually much more than a visual choice? You might be aware that the varying shades taste different, with green being much more bitter than red, but it turns out that some colours are actually healthier than others, too.
The secret was uncovered in a viral video on TikTok, where one woman declared that if you're looking to add bell peppers to your meals to make them healthier, there's only one colour you should be buying.
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The woman, known online as The Salad Lady, claimed that red peppers are the most nutritious of all the pepper varieties, especially when compared to green ones. This is because a red pepper is a "fully ripened" green pepper, and therefore has more vitamins in it as it's been growing for longer.
She explained: "Of all the colours, red peppers are on the vine the longest. They're basically fully ripe green peppers. For this reason, they're naturally the sweetest and pack the most nutrition.
"Compared to green peppers, the red ones have almost double the Vitamin C and 10 times more beta carotene. Beta carotene is an anti-oxidant that supports heart health, good vision, and healthy skin, hair, and nails. This is why I almost always use red peppers in salad making and in cooking.
"Since green peppers are harvested earlier before they have a chance to turn yellow, orange, and then red, they're going to be the least sweet and the lowest in nutrients."
The woman's claims are backed by WebMD, who state the same information on their website. Commenters on the video were blown away by the information, as many of them said they had no idea about peppers' nutritional changes.
One person said: "I learned something new, thank you!" While another added: "Much needed information, thank you for being so informative."