They’re not just for Thanksgiving anymore. While Americans may be in the habit of eating white potatoes more often than sweet potatoes, it’s the orange spud that is richer in nutrients and antioxidants and has the power to satisfy your sweet tooth in a way its blander sister can’t. Plus, there are many ways to prepare sweet potatoes and savor their natural sweetness that go beyond making “candied sweet.” Enjoy a sweet potato today for a big dose of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and more.
1. Complex carbs supplier
When it comes to spuds, Americans tend to eat more white potatoes than sweet potatoes — 10 times more per year, when measured in pounds, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. But with their 35 grams of complex carbohydrates, sweet potatoes supply more lasting energy than white potatoes, which offer 51 grams of simpler carbs.
The body breaks down carbohydrates into smaller sugars, like glucose, absorbs them, and uses them as energy. Complex carbs, as opposed to simple carbs, take more time for the body to break down and supply energy more slowly. Also, simple carbs are more likely to spike blood sugar, followed by an increased insulin response, causing fat to be more readily deposited.
2. Skin smoother
Sweet potatoes can give you youthful skin. The beta-carotene contained in sweet potatoes, which gives them their orange color and acts as an antioxidant, converts to vitamin A which works to help skin eliminate old cells and produce new ones, according to Self.com. The new cells help your skin maintain smoothness and resist damage. Sweet potatoes also provide essential minerals like copper, iron, and manganese, as well as vitamins C and B6.
For a way to savor sweet potatoes beyond boiling and baking, whip up this Cranberry Sweet Potato Bread recipe from the American Institute for Cancer Research.
3. Blood pressure regulator
Sweet potatoes are considered a very good source of potassium, which is important in regulating blood pressure because it undermines the effects of sodium, according to the American Heart Association. Potassium also plays a role in muscle control and nerve function. An average adult should consume 4,700 milligrams of potassium a day, the AHA says. One large sweet potato contains 300 milligrams or more.
To help increase your daily potassium intake, try this recipe for Spicy Sweet Potato Bisque from the American Institute for Cancer Research.
4. Weight manager
Enjoy a delicious sweet potato and help yourself lose weight. With 4 grams of fiber in a small spud, sweet potatoes are a fiber champ. Fiber makes us feel full, but it also helps us feel full longer. That’s because it prolongs the time it takes for the stomach to empty, in turn, slowing the time it takes for sugar to be released and absorbed. Soluble fiber helps lower LDL or so-called “bad” cholesterol and contains other nutrients that fight heart disease.
What’s more, a study involving 388,000 people and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that men and women who ate the most amount of fiber were 22 percent less likely to die from any cause than those who ate the least amount.
5. Cancer fighter
Sweet potatoes are considered one of the best natural sources of beta-carotene, a cancer-fighting antioxidant. Studies show that higher blood levels of beta-carotene and other carotenoids are associated with reduced breast cancer risk, so health experts recommend eating at least five servings a day of a variety of fruits and vegetables containing an array of carotenoids. In addition to fighting cancer, carotenoids also are associated with reduced risk of heart disease and eye degeneration, according to carotenoidsociety.org.
Researchers say reduced cancer risk is not associated with beta-carotene supplements, so get your antioxidants naturally by eating sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, winter squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and other fruits and vegetables.
No comments:
Post a Comment