5 surprising health benefits of red peppers

Crisp and incredibly sweet, red bell peppers are an immediate attraction on the dining table and are easy sell to even those who are not fond of vegetables.

Actually green peppers are just unripe red peppers and since they are not fully mature, they have a bitter after taste, and half the vitamin C and 1/10th the vitamin A compared to their red or orange siblings.

Here are five more health benefits of eating red pepper:

1. Help support healthy night vision

Since red peppers are high in vitamin A, it helps to support healthy eyesight, especially night vision.

2. It helps burn more calories

Red peppers can increase metabolic rate. Red bell peppers can increase our metabolism without increasing our heart rate and blood pressure like the hot peppers do.

3. They have 300 percent of your daily vitamin C intake

Besides being a powerful antioxidant, vitamin C is also needed for the proper absorption of iron. If you are iron deficient, try combining red peppers with your iron source for maximum absorption.

4. Red bell peppers are packed with antioxidants

The combined effects of vitamin A and C create a great antioxidant capacity, and with lycopene in the mix, the red bell pepper becomes a top notch super food. Red peppers are one of the highest veggies in lycopene, which has been successfully tested in the prevention of many cancers including prostate and lung.

5. A great source of vitamin B6 and magnesium

This vitamin and mineral combination shows a decrease in anxiety, especially related to pre-menstrual symptoms. Vitamin B6 is also a natural diuretic, which helps you to reduce bloating and prevents hypertension.