The peppers are a popular vegetable of the Solanáceas family. The benefits and damages of peppers are no longer a reason for controversy because the product has been studied thoroughly. The pulp is eaten with skin. Seeds and peduncle are not edible. The product is used in salads, raw or after cooked, added to first and second dishes, garrisons. Due to its low caloric content (27 kcal per 100 g) and the absence of fats, it is healthy and suitable for dietary diets.
Chemical composition of pepper
This vegetable is originally from Central and North America and contains provitamin A (41 micrograms per 100 g) and vitamins B and P (0. 9 mg). In Bulgaria, scientists have also discovered that the daily intake of sweet peppers replenishes the daily needs of vitamin C: A person needs 90 mg per day, while 100 g of the product contain 92. 6 mg. In this sense, he has surpassed black currants and lemons. But this is only possible if the vegetable is consumed raw (without heat treatment).
Potassium and sodium, which are found in the pulp, are involved in maintaining water-salt equilibrium between cells. These minerals are easy to digest. But peppers cannot meet the daily needs of minerals. Calcium, iron, iodine, silicon and zinc only represent 1% of the total (if 100 raw) are consumed. The benefits and damages for health are also determined by the presence of substances that affect color and taste.
The benefits of vegetable cultivation
This product is sued worldwide for a reason. The benefits of health pepper are undeniable. Its flesh strengthens human health thanks to the following ingredients:
1. Fiber is a polysaccharide that intervenes in the process of formation of cell membranes. Food fiber is not digested by the body, so it is so valuable. They clean the walls of the intestine and stomach, eliminate toxins and waste. Its content in 100 grams of pepper is 3. 5 g. This is enough to prevent gastrointestinal diseases. 2. The specific taste of vegetable is due to capsaicin content – an alkaloid that affects the pancreas and the gastrointestinal tract (accelerates digestion). It is also a natural antibiotic. Useful properties and contraindications depend on the condition of the stomach walls. 3. The 100 g content of the daily ration of ascorbic acid normalizes blood pressure. Therefore, the vegetable must be consumed by people with diabetes, who have high blood pressure due to an abnormal amount of blood sugar. 4. Sweet peppers contain vitamins of group P (500 mg per 100 g). They are also called flavonoids. They strengthen the walls of blood vessels and adrenal cortex to normalize bile formation in the body (a substance to stimulate digestive processes). 5. 100 g of pepper pulp contain 535 µg of bet a-carotene (necessary for vitamin A synthesis in the human body). The daily fee is 1 mg. Betacarotene reinforces nervous and cardiovascular systems thanks to its antioxidant properties. It blocks the effects of free radicals and prevents them from penetrating in the cells of the human body tissues, which means cancer prevention. The consumption of peppers for the organism in old age is essential. It reduces fatigue and irritability, maintaining the tone of the nervous system (the effect of vitamin A). 6. The pulp juice of this sweet crop clean the walls of the blood vessels. Ascorbic acid and vitamins B and P prevent the development of atherosclerosis. They clean and strengthen blood vessels, so that triglycerides (cholesterol) do not stay in them.
Why in the form of juice?
Because in this way the product is absorbed more quickly and the substances reach the bloodstream. You can only take 50 mg of juice the first time, and then 80 mg of juice per day. Sweet red and yellow peppers can be combined with each other.
Take advantage of the benefits of health pepper in different fields
This vegetable is not only used in dishes. The properties of peppers are also used in cosmetics. The peppers are washed, the seeds and stems are removed (and the skin, if necessary), are chopped and mashed in a blender. The puree is added to a facial cream, a hair mask or an ointment for joint pain.
Diluted pepper juice is used to gargari with the horns. Alkaloids and vitamin C have an antiseptic effect and destroy pathogenic microflora and reduce inflammation. The peppers, whose benefits and damages have already been described, are preserved in the refrigerator only one day. The seeds are used to obtain essential oils (preparation of hydr o-alcoholic extracts).
Contraindications of the use of sweet peppers
The benefits of sweet peppers are clear, but what about the contraindications? Not everyone can consume this vegetable in its raw form. Pulp alkaloids increase stomach acidity. People with ulcers or gastritis are contraindicated. This also applies to juice. For them, it is better to cook steamed peppers, stewed or baked.
It can also be harmful to diseases
1. Coronary artery disease and arrhythmia. Arrhythmia is a heart rhythm disorder caused by micro- or macronutrient deficiencies, vascular problems, nervous system disorders, hypotension (low blood pressure), and congenital heart defects. In case of arrhythmia it is necessary to control the diet and the chemical content of the food that is ingested. An excess of certain macroelements can cause a worsening of the heart rhythm. Essential oils found in food also contribute to this. 2. Crude fiber overloads the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. This increases the production of the hormones angiotensin (stimulation of cell growth in all tissues), hepcidin (preservation of iron stores in cells) and thrombopoietin (production of platelets in the bone marrow). In problems of the nervous system, epilepsy, cognitive disorders the change in the hormonal balance leads to a deterioration of the patient’s condition. 3. Red peppers have both benefits and harms, so they should not be eaten by young children due to the possibility of an allergic reaction. The essential oils in the pulp can become allergenic if the immune system is not yet ready to accept the new substances and considers them a threat to the body. You should start with yellow or green bell peppers.
It is better to buy the peppers in the market and not in the store. In the latter case, the probability of using nitrates and pesticides during cultivation increases by 75%. These chemical substances accumulate in the body and cause toxic poisoning, liver problems and cancer. The usefulness of American red vegetables from the supermarket without a trace of spoilage is questionable.
Benefits of each type of pepper
Red peppers offer both benefits and harms to human health. Its color is due to its lycopene content. This pigment has antioxidant properties and breaks down fat cells. Lycopene cleans the walls of the vessels from cholesterol, but it affects the walls of the stomach. Therefore, people with gastrointestinal diseases should avoid this product. The capsaicin alkaloid is contained in an amount of 0. 1% in 100g of product in terms of dry matter. Due to its effect on P matter (protein of the brain and spinal cord) it reduces pain and relieves inflammation.
The yellow color of this vegetable is due to carotene (a pigment of natural origin). What is the usefulness of the peppers of this species? They play a role as antioxidants and fix free radicals, which affect changes in the structure of protein molecules and the DNA chain. The yellow pepper contains more vitamin C (98 mg per 100 g) than the other varieties (92. 6 mg per 100 g).
What is the utility of the green pepper?
It is a product that has not reached the state of biological maturity. As for its composition, it differs from the others in which it only contains 35% of essential oils compared to the mature product. This reduces the risk of allergic reactions. The lack of maturity of green peppers also means that they contain 30% less sugar, so its flavor is not as sweet as that of red peppers.
Like any other food, peppers must be consumed in moderation. It is recommended to eat 100 g of peppers a day to cover the daily dose of ascorbic acid. The maximum amount is 250 g. The doctor should be consulted before consuming them.
