Like tomatoes and cucumbers, many may think of peppers as a type of vegetable. In fact, paprika (Capsicum annuum) is one type of fruit that is often used as a complementary ingredient in cooking.
Not only can it be processed into various types of delicious dishes, it turns out that there are many health benefits of paprika, ranging from improving digestion to maintaining eye health. These benefits are obtained from the various nutritional content in paprika.
Bell peppers also contain B vitamins, vitamin K, iron, folate, zinc, manganese, and lutein. Not only that, paprika is also rich in antioxidants.
Various Benefits of Peppers for Health
Due to its diverse nutritional content, there are many health benefits of paprika that can be obtained, including:
1. Maintain eye health
Peppers contain antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as various vitamins that can maintain eye health, such as vitamin A and vitamin E. The content of these peppers can prevent damage to retinal cells in the eye and reduce the risk of cataracts.
2. Prevent anemia
Anemia is a condition when the body lacks red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. This condition is characterized by symptoms of the body being easily tired, pale skin, dizzy eyes, and shortness of breath.
To prevent anemia, you can eat foods that contain iron, folate, and vitamin B12. You can also get these three ingredients from paprika.
Paprika is also rich in vitamin C. This vitamin can increase the absorption of iron in the body, so that the production of blood cells is always sufficient and prevents you from the risk of anemia or lack of blood.
3. Reduce inflammation
Bell peppers are high in antioxidants and the compound capsaicin, which is the substance that gives peppers and chili peppers their pungent taste, as well as other spices. These ingredients are known to be good for reducing inflammation.
4. Lose weight
In addition to reducing inflammation, the capsaicin content in bell peppers and chilies is also thought to help with weight loss. This is thanks to the effect of capsaicin which can increase metabolism, so that more calories and fat tissue are burned.
In addition, peppers are also high in fiber, so you will feel full longer. Thus, the urge to overeat or snack frequently will be reduced.
However, you can’t just rely on peppers for weight loss. Ideal body weight needs to be achieved with a healthy lifestyle, namely regular exercise and reducing consumption of high-calorie foods.
Some of the benefits above show that paprika is very good for body health. However, in some people, paprika may cause allergies. However, cases of allergies to paprika are very rare.
To get the benefits of paprika, you can process it into a mixture of various dishes, such as stir-fried meat, omelettes, or as a topping on pizza. Apart from being consumed as food, paprika is also available in the form of paprika extract supplements.
If your body’s health condition is good, it never hurts to make paprika as an addition to your daily diet.
