Bell peppers are low in fat and calories - 100g contains only 31 calories and 0.3g fat - and rich in vitamin C. In fact, 100g of red peppers provides 213 per cent of an adult's daily vitamin C requirements.
They are also excellent sources of other antioxidants, such as vitamin E, and carotenoids such as lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin. These act as scavengers for harmful free radicals which, if left unchecked, have the potential to cause certain types of cancers and other chronic diseases.
As well as eating them raw in crunchy salads or using them in stir fries, bell peppers can be combined with meat or beans and rice or couscous to make stuffed peppers; incorporated into frittatas; whizzed up to make dips or cooked and pureed into vividly coloured soups.
Baked stuffed peppers
For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with an equal amount of cooked chickpeas.
Ingredients (serves 4)
300g lean minced beef
