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Are bell peppers
healthy
for babies?
Yes. Bell peppers are packed with vitamins A and C, two key nutrients that babies need for their eyesight, skin, and immune system development. In fact, peppers offer more vitamin C per serving than an orange! Peppers also offer vitamin B6, which fuels your baby with energy and helps their small bodies produce hormones that regulate mood, sleep cycles, and other bodily functions.
Keep in mind that a bell pepper’s nutritional profile changes by color. Orange, red, and yellow bell peppers are top sources of beta-carotene and other carotenoids (both of which are needed to make vitamin A), while purple and brown bell peppers are high in anthocyanins, the same antioxidant in blueberries and blackberries.
Red and yellow peppers also have higher amounts of vitamin C. Serve them alongside iron-rich foods like beans or lentils, and the vitamin C will help your baby’s body absorb the plant-based iron in the legumes. (Iron is an essential nutrient at this stage in your baby’s life.)
How to prepare bell peppers for your baby!
Every baby develops on their own timeline. The preparation suggestions below are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for professional, one-on-one advice from your pediatric medical or health professional, nutritionist or dietitian, or expert in pediatric feeding and eating. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen here.
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6 to 9 months old: Puree peppers and mix with foods high in iron! You can also offer quarters of roasted or cooked bell pepper, with the pith, seeds, skin, and stem removed. You can also try introducing raw bell pepper at this stage; just remove the pith, seeds, and stem, and slice very thinly.
9 to 12 months old: At this age your baby is likely developing their pincer grasp where the pointer finger and thumb meet. This means they are able to pick up small pieces of food more easily and as such, it’s a good time to move down in size considerably. Try offering chopped cooked bell pepper with pith, seeds, skin, and stem removed. You may also offer thinly sliced raw bell pepper.
12 to 24 months old: Continue to serve chopped cooked bell with the pith, seeds, skin, and stem removed or thinly sliced raw bell pepper. Don’t be surprised if your child still spits out bites of the food. It takes time to get used to the mouthfeel of raw vegetables and learning to spit food out is a critical part of learning to eat.
It's a fact!
Native to Central America where it has been domesticated and grown for thousands of years, bell pepper is actually part of… the pepper family! It was most likely grown for the first time in the Mexican isthmus where seeds over 5,000 years old have been found during archaeological research
Our planet is home to more than 50,000 varieties of peppers, which are native to Central America and beloved by cultures worldwide as a spice, condiment, and vegetable (though technically, a pepper is a fruit. The taste depends on the color: green and purple bell peppers tend to be more bitter than red, orange, and yellow bell peppers, which have a fruity taste. Did you know that red, orange, and yellow bell peppers are actually green bell peppers that have ripened longer on the vine?