Add Over A Day's Worth Of Vitamin C To Coleslaw With This One Ingredient

Creamy, and with just the right bite, coleslaw is a perennial side for any barbecue. Whether you like yours stacked on a burger or next to a grill-kissed hot dog, coleslaw is hard to beat. What you may not know is that you can pack a walloping dose of vitamin C in your favorite cabbage-based side by simply tossing in some chopped sweet red bell pepper.

The recommended daily intake of vitamin C is 90 to 120 milligrams for adults. Just 1 cup of red bell pepper contains 191 milligrams of vitamin C. For reference, 1 cup of red bell pepper packs more vitamin C than an orange, which many people freely associate with vitamin C but tops out at 70-90 milligrams.

What's so important about vitamin C? This powerhouse antioxidant is best known for helping keep your immune system running in peak form, as well as supporting your body in fighting off illness and healing more quickly. Also called ascorbic acid, vitamin C is an essential nutrient, meaning the body doesn't make it. You have to consume it through food or supplements, and red bell pepper is chock full of it.

To instantly give your coleslaw a red bell pepper confetti glow-up, simply slice off the top, remove the core and seeds, and gently remove the white-ish membranes with a paring knife before slicing and dicing the bright red flesh. You can even push in the core with your thumbs for a quick hack to speed up the prep process. No matter what coleslaw recipe you're using, adding red bell pepper is an easy way to up the health value and to add welcome texture and flavor. Folding the sweetest of the bell peppers into your coleslaw provides a welcome vegetal crunch and also adds a hit of juicy contrast against the creamy, but sometimes palate-coating, tang of the mayo base.

For the best coleslaw results, use the right amount of dressing, and shred the veggies finely. Just don't make the mistake of using bagged coleslaw; the precut cabbage and carrots are often more limp and less pleasing to eat than their freshly cut counterparts. If you have leftover red bell pepper, you can liberally sprinkle into other salads, or snack on some crunchy spears to keep you feeling at your best. Regardless, red bell pepper may just become one of your signature coleslaw moves.