Looks matter!

Did you know that the appearance of food not only shapes purchase decisions but can influence flavour perceptions too? This is why colour and the appeal of various foods have been closely related.

"It is believed that the eye must be convinced first before food is tried out," says Lovely R. Deep, nutritionist and dietician, Al Zahra Hospital.

"In a study published in the Journal of Food Quality, subjects were asked to eat food in the dark. They reported a critically missing element for enjoying any cuisine - the appearance of food."

But appearances can be deceptive. Many people would think these eyecatching red peppers are 'hot'. "Contrary to their appearance, bell peppers are not 'hot'," she smiles.

"They contain a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin, the compound responsible for the 'hotness' found in other peppers."

Interestingly, capsicum pepper - which is available in green, red, orange and yellow - is among the few foods that contain lycopene, a carotenoid whose consumption has been correlated with prostate and cervical cancer, bladder and pancreas infections.

Peppers are also known to be excellent sources of vitamins C and A through their concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene. The antioxidants neutralise free radicals, which can travel through the body, causing damage to cells.

You may add pepper to any cuisine (salads, sauces, soups, stir-fries, spring rolls, pizzas, curry, parathas and grills). It has been successfully preserved as pickles and dehydrated to be used in soups.

You will also find it added to salad dressings. Red and yellow peppers which tend to be sweeter can be introduced to children as teething foods in the form of vegetable sticks.