Can TikTok's Bell-Pepper Sandwich Trend Really Help You Lose Weight? We Asked a Dietitian

We've tried and loved our fair share of bread-less sandwiches over the years. Lettuce, collard greens, corn tortillas . . . you name it, we've tried it, with various fillings of choice. Now TikTok is introducing us to a colorful and crunchy new option: bell peppers!

It's one of those trends that has us slapping our foreheads and asking why we haven't thought of this before. You simply slice a bell pepper in half, length-wise, stuff the hollow halves with your choice of filling, and get munching. It can help you cut down on calories if that's what you're after, while adding an extra vegetable serving to your meal. Plus, bell peppers have a solid nutrition profile all their own, full of vitamin C (169 percent of your daily recommended value — more than an orange!) and antioxidants. Altogether, these powerful veggies contain nutrients that can improve your eye health and, due to the high amount of iron, reduce your risk of anemia. And at 92 percent water, bell peppers hydrate you, too.

As good as this all sounds, we wanted to do our due diligence and check in with an expert to see if this trend is all it's cracked up to be. Registered dietitian Michele Fumagalli of Fit Plate Nutrition confirmed that bell peppers are nutritious and delicious. "One of my top tips to improving nutrition is adding in vegetables, as they are highly nutrient dense with various health benefits and lower in calories," she told POPSUGAR. She noted, though, that a bell-pepper sandwich might not fill you up due to a "lack of balance and satisfaction," she said. "Rate your satisfaction after a sandwich made with bread and a bell pepper on the side, versus a bell-pepper sandwich," and you might find a big difference. And if you're choosing this option for weight loss, that's fine; just know that you don't have to demonize starchy carbs like bread to do it, Fumagalli said. "You can eat carbs and still lose weight. You can enjoy a sandwich made with bread and still lose weight."

If a bell-pepper sandwich sounds tasty to you, go for it; we have some creative TikTok recipes ahead for you to try! Our number one tip for this trend: enjoy your sandwich with or without bread, however you like it.