Meet
the Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea
batatas) are large, starchy,
sweet-tasting vegetables. They actually belong to the morning glory family.
Despite the shared name, sweet potatoes are only distantly related to the potatoesused to make French
fries or potato chips. Non-sweet potatoes (including red, white, and Yukon gold varieties) are part of the
edible nightshade family. Other members include tomatoes, tomatillos,
eggplants, peppers, pimentos, and Goji berries.
Sweet potatoes are root
tubers.
Other root tubers include beets, carrots,
parsnips, celeriac, and turnips. Root tubers store water and energy, like
starch and other carbohydrates, underground. They draw upon these resources to
feed the aboveground parts of the plant.
10
Incredible Sweet Potato Health Benefits
The unique nutritional
profile of sweet potatoes makes them powerful allies in
preventing disease and supporting overall health.
Here are some health
benefits of adding sweet potatoes to your diet
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #1: They Support Digestive Health
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of fiber, especially when you eat the skin. Fiber
is important for your digestive health, preventing constipation and serious
diseases, such as colon cancer.
One medium sweet potato has six grams of dietary
fiber. They also contain resistant starch, a type of starch that plays a role in feeding your body’s
“good” bacteria.
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #2: They Keep Your Heart Healthy
The high fiber content of sweet potatoes can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, helping to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Sweet potatoes are also high in potassium, which works in balance with sodium in your body to maintain healthy blood pressure.
They’re also high in copper, an essential metal for making red blood cells and keeping your
heart healthy. Low levels of copper have been linked to dangerously high
homocysteine, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol levels.
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #3: They Help Stabilize Blood Sugar
The fiber and complex
carbohydrates in sweet potatoes can help keep your blood
sugar stable. And it can help you feel full longer. Sweet potato varieties
also contain other substances that benefit stable blood sugar.
A 2004 study published in Diabetes Care successfully used
Caiapo, an extract from white sweet potatoes, to naturally reduce and manage
blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes.
The 30 participants who
were given 4 grams of Caiapo every day for 12 weeks saw a decrease in their
HbA(1c) (going from 7.21 to 6.68), fasting blood glucose (143.7 vs. 128.5), and
two-hour blood glucose (193.3 vs.162.8). The 31 participants who were given a
placebo instead saw no such results.
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #4: They Can Boost Your Immunity
Sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants that prevent free radical
damage in your body.
One cup of baked sweet
potato contains 52% of your daily value
for vitamin C, which is important for wound healing and tissue repair.
And the vitamin A in
sweet potatoes helps your body make immune cells that stave off infections and disease and have anti-tumor effects. Purple sweet
potatoes contain especially potent antioxidants.
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #5: They Are Good for Your Eyes
Sweet potatoes contain
several nutrients that have been linked to improved eye health and vision. Some
of the most powerful are the carotenoids. They include alpha-carotene,
beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
Beta-carotene, when
taken as a supplement in isolation from the other carotenoids, can cause
imbalances. But when eaten in foods, where it is always accompanied by, and in
balance with, an entire suite of carotenoids, it’s been shown to have powerful anti-cancer and
vision-enhancing properties.
Orange sweet potatoes
(as well as other orange plants, including carrots) have particularly high
concentrations of carotenoids.
It’s not just the orange
sweet potatoes that are good for your vision, though. A class of anthocyanins called PSPA, derived from purple
sweet potato roots, might also benefit your eyes.
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #6: They Fuel Your Brain
Sweet potatoes also
contain compounds that help your brain function at its best, including choline and manganese.
Choline is an essential nutrient for brain growth and
development,
as well as the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that sends
messages between cells.
Manganese is also important for brain health. It binds to neurotransmitters and helps move electrical impulses through your body faster. You can find 43%
of your daily value of manganese in one cup of baked sweet potato.
The anthocyanins unique to purple sweet potatoes may also have memory-enhancing
properties.
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #7: They Can Help Ease Stress and Anxiety
Sweet potatoes may help you relax. They’re high in magnesium, which has been shown
to play a role in calming the brain.
Magnesium deficiency has been linked to depression, mood disturbances, and
headaches.
Other good sources of
magnesium include avocados, legumes, tofu, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens.
(I’m dreaming right now
of a loaded baked sweet potato piled high with a soft nut cheeze, avocado, a
drizzle of flax oil, and a sprinkle of seasoning. It’s also accompanied by some
freshly steamed and piping hot leafy greens for a delicious, magnesium-rich
meal.)
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #8: They Can Help Boost Fertility
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for healthy reproduction. And as we know,
sweet potatoes are a fantastic source.
Sweet potatoes also
offer a rich supply of iron, which has also been
shown to be important in supporting fertility.
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #9: They Can Help Fight Cancer
Sweet potatoes are a rich source of cancer-fighting antioxidants, especially in their
skin. They have other anti-cancer properties, too.
Up to 80% of the protein in sweet potatoes is a
type of storage protein known assporamin. This unique protein has been studied for anti-cancer ability and found to be
effective in several disease types.
Research has been
promising in the use of sporamin to inhibit tongue, gallbladder, and colorectal cancers. It has also been shown capable of slowing cancer cell growth and reducing cell migration and
invasion in metastatic cancers.
Sweet
Potato Health Benefit #10: They Have Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Eating sweet potatoes
may also help reduce inflammation.
This is chiefly due to
their high levels of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and magnesium. Their abundance of
antioxidants doesn’t hurt here, either.
One of the particular
antioxidants that’s found most abundantly in purple sweet potato flesh is cyanidin. Cyanidin has been linked to reducing inflammation, especially in the digestive tract.
Sweet Potato Fries
INGREDIENTS
·
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
·
2 tablespoons olive oil
·
1 teaspoon garlic powder
·
1 teaspoon paprika
·
1 teaspoon salt
·
½ teaspoon black pepper
PREPARATION
1.
Heat the oven to 400.
2.
Cut the sweet potatoes
into sticks 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the oil.
3.
Mix the spices, salt
and pepper in a small bowl, and toss them with the sweet potatoes. Spread them
out on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
4.
Bake until brown and crisp
on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is
crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.
+2348074926468.
Pharex Global Ventures Foods.
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