Bell peppers are fruits from the capsicum family. There are several species that people can choose from, but the main difference between them is their color.
You should note that these vary between green, yellow, orange, white, and even red.
There are tons of color options that you can grow in your garden, and some people also think about growing several species at the same time.
This makes their harvest look colorful, which also makes the garden attractive. You should note that bell peppers are one of the easiest to maintain fruits.
Unlike other peppers, bell peppers fall in the category of sweet peppers, and some people argue that the color of the bell pepper doesn’t indicate different species but its ripeness.
They naturally start out as green with shiny, tough skin, and as they mature on the vine over time, they change color from yellow orange to red; hence the color of the bell pepper determines its ripeness.
The more ripened the bell pepper sweeter the flavor.
Additionally, these are mostly referred to as vegetables because of their culinary use.
They are widely used in different main courses like lasagna, turkey stuffed bell peppers, and also in many Asian dishes as a main ingredient.
Apart from that, bell peppers also add a luscious taste to soups and salads and serve as a key element in many other sides.
With its exceptional flavor and color that it adds to the dishes, bell peppers also have a variety of phytonutrients that make them beneficial for your health.
Bell peppers are rich in Vit C, Vit B, and folate and have large amounts of antioxidants, which have several health benefits.
They are low in calories and high in flavor, and the most ripened ones (orange and red only) have anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce joint and muscle pain.
However, like any other fruit/vegetable, there also have some issues that you can run into with bell peppers.
Even though green bell peppers are not spicy per se, they contain enough capsaicin to trigger belching, bloating, and other digestive problems like frequent burping and indigestion.
Recently, people have frequently been asking the question, “Why do bell peppers make me burp?” While these are amazing plants to grow in your backyard, the issues they present must be considered.
If you are running into the same problem with these vegetables, then going through this article should help you out. This is because we will be providing you with several reasons behind this issue, along with steps that can be used to fix them.
Why Do Bell Peppers Make Me Burp?
There are several reasons why consuming bell peppers results in frequent, unpleasant burping.
First of all, while you pick off bell peppers from the plant in your garden or you are buying them from the mart, ensure they are mature and ripe, as eating bell peppers that are unripe and immature may cause digestive problems.
Secondly, if you have stored many bell peppers at your home for prepping food later someday, store them in a cold, dry place, preferably in the refrigerator.
Like any other fruit or vegetable, if bell peppers are left on the kitchen counter for several days, the skin will wilt, and bell peppers will lose their shine and become stale.
Adding old stale peppers to your salads or main courses will not only make you burp later but can also cause serious digestive issues.
Last but not least, if having bell peppers in your meals make you burp quite a lot and also causes swelling around the eyes or itching on the skin, immediately stop consuming them.
There’s a high chance that you are allergic to bell pepper.
Confirm your allergies; if the results are positive, simply avoid meals with bell peppers.
Below we will explain to you in detail all these causes and how you can enjoy your flavorful meal without having to burp again and again.
- Eating Immature Or Green Bell Peppers
When eating bell peppers, there are some things that people should keep in their mind. This includes carefully observing the vegetable before consuming it.
The level of ripeness on your bell peppers can usually affect people eating them in different ways.
If you notice that these vegetables make you burp quite often, then there is a high chance that you might be eating immature or green bell peppers.
While these are safe to eat for tons of users, you should note that they can also cause indigestion issues in some people. This is why you must keep a journal when eating vegetables.
This can help people in noticing what vegetables cause problems with their health. Simply lowering the number of vegetables used can help fix the problem.
However, if this does not work, then the next thing that you can try is substituting the bell peppers from your recipe. Start by using some other species of the plant to confirm if the problem gets fixed or not.
A few best substitutes for bell pepper are jalapeno, poblano, Cubanelle, and Anaheim pepper.
If you doubt the ripeness of the bell peppers you have at home, replace them by adding the peppers as mentioned earlier for the color and same flavor to your dish.
If you were harvesting them before they reached this stage, then that might be why the vegetable was making you burp so much. Alternatively, you can try harvesting the bell peppers on time so that they are not unripe.
The best way to ensure this is by carefully observing the vegetables in your garden.
These should grow with time, and when you notice that the bell peppers are about 4 to 5 inches in size, these should be taken off carefully using sharp scissors.
Choosing orange or red bell peppers is also a better option in this case.
- Problems With Nightshade Family
Even after substituting green bell peppers with other variants, if you are still getting the same problem, then there is a high chance that you might have some allergies.
Bell peppers, along with other vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and goji berries, are all from the nightshade family. These are known for their high content of alkaloids.
Alkaloids are well handled by a healthy gut if not consumed in high quantities; however, many people are also intolerant to them, meaning they can’t properly digest them and may have negative digestive reactions in response to their consumption.
Some of these negative side effects include gas, which results in frequent, unpleasant burping, bloating, diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, and joint pain due to inflammation.
If you are experiencing any of these side effects together with the burping problem after having bell peppers, then your problem might be from the nightshade family instead of the bell peppers.
The best way to test this is by avoiding vegetables from this plant category for 30 straight days.
You can then check if the burping issue gets fixed or not.
If it does, it confirms that you are allergic to the nightshade family of plants, and you need to simply avoid eating plants from the nightshade family. You can easily substitute these with other vegetables that have similar flavors.
- Keeping Bell Peppers Healthy
Sometimes people harvest their bell peppers on time, but some of their plants are not as healthy as others. This causes some of the harvested vegetables to be ripe while others are still immature.
This is why you must keep your entire garden healthy at all times to avoid problems like these.
People can start by watering their plants on time. You should also ensure that the liquid does not gather inside the soil, as it can suffocate the roots.
Aside from this, the amount of sunlight being received can also play a huge role in how your vegetables will grow. Simply keeping these factors in check can help you in keeping the bell peppers healthy throughout the harvest.
In addition to that, ensure that once you harvest healthy bell peppers, to keep them fresh and in good shape, store them in your refrigerator and use them before the skin losses its shine and toughness.
Bottom Line
If having bell peppers in your meals make you burp frequently, there could be three reasons for it.
Either you are consuming unripe green peppers; they have a slightly bitter, grassy flavor, which causes your digestive system to react to them with burping.
Another reason you are experiencing this issue can be the old unhealthy bell peppers. Although when on the vine, the older, the better the bell pepper gets, that’s not the case when your bell peppers are lying on your kitchen counter or pantry storage.
If not stored in cool, dry places, bell peppers go stale quickly, and consuming them would cause you not only burping but also other major digestive issues.
Lastly, you may to allergic to the nightshade plant family, and you should avoid these vegetables.