Bell Peppers

Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps

Contains more vitamin C per serving than an orange does.

Stage by stage

Intake (Crunchy, water-rich): Crunchy raw texture requires more chewing than most vegetables.
Stomach (Fast-moving vitamin C): Its high water and vitamin C content moves through digestion quickly.
Small intestine (SVCT1 transporter): Vitamin C is absorbed via the same dedicated transporter used throughout the body.
Immune & skin tissue (Collagen & immune support): Absorbed vitamin C supports immune cell function and collagen production.

Timing

Raw preserves the most vitamin C, since heat gradually degrades it.

Time to effect

Hours: Vitamin C blood levels rise within a couple of hours.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.

In season

July to October in the northern hemisphere, January to April in the southern.

Satiety

The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 17 kcal per 100 g that is 1.5 kg of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.

Environmental footprint

0.5 kg CO2e and 108 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other vegetables" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 16.5
Protein: 0.9g
Carbohydrate: 2.5g
of which sugars: 2.5g
Fat: 0g
of which saturated: 0g
Fibre: 1.5g
Sodium: 1mg

Food vs. supplement

One medium red bell pepper has roughly 150mg of vitamin C — more than double an orange, comparable to a moderate-dose supplement — plus fibre and plant compounds a pill doesn’t include.

Kitchen tip

Red peppers have roughly triple the vitamin C of green ones, since red is simply a more ripened stage of the same fruit.

Common myth

“Citrus fruits are always the top vitamin C source.” In reality: Red bell peppers, and several other vegetables, actually contain more vitamin C per serving than most citrus fruits.