Red Pepper is part of the capsicum family, which also includes pimento and chili peppers, red peppers are native to the Americas, and have been used for over five thousand years as an important food and medicine source.

Among the very best antioxidant sources, red peppers offer an impressive arsenal of nutrients that prevent cancer and protect the heart. They're loaded with vitamin C; one pepper provides 150 percent of the RDA, which is far more than even an orange, lemon, or lime offer.

The average red pepper has 4,220 IUs of beta-carotene--more than 80 percent of the RDA. Both have been shown to fight the free radical cell damage that can lead to serious disease.

Red peppers are one of the few foods that contain lycopene, a carotenoid that may help to prevent certain kinds of cancer.
Recent studies show that people with low levels of lycopene are at greater risk of developing cancers of the cervix, bladder, and pancreas.

Together, vitamin C and beta-carotene provide a double dose of protection against the free radical damage that can lead not only to disease but also to wrinkles, cataracts, and other aging problems.

Red Peppers supply the phytonutrient compounds lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which have been shown to protect against macular degeneration, the main cause of visual impairment in the elderly.

Raw peppers retain the most vitamin C, which is easily destroyed in cooking, but cooking releases beta-carotene from peppers, making it more available to your body. So eat them raw as well as lightly cooked.
Eat peppers with a little bit of fat to help your body absorb the most beta-carotene.
Peppers' naturally waxy skin helps protect them from damaging oxidation, so their vitamin content remains intact even after several weeks. Refrigeration keeps them fresh longest.

Many people think that if certain foods are good, a lot is better.
This is not always the case, and high doses of certain food are actually toxic.

Read about the healthy food, research the vitamins and minerals and check with your health care provider if you are unsure about how much to eat and how much may be too much.

The best way to get the daily requirement of 13 essential vitamins is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods and take a "Standardized" (quality) multivitamin supplement.