Sweet Potato Nutrition

Sweet potato nutrition was compared to other vegetables in a study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest in 1992. Sweet potatoes ranked highest on the list with 184 points, considering protein, vitamins A and C, minerals, complex carbs and fiber content.

Sweet Potato Facts:

▪ Sweet potatoes were consumed in pre historic times as proven by relics in Peru dating back ten thousand years.

▪ They originated from Central America and were brought to Europe by Christopher Colombus after his first voyage in 1492.

▪ China is the largest sweet potato producer, it provides 80% of world supply, but half of that is used for feeding livestock.

▪ Sweet potatoes and potatoes do not come from the same family, sweet potato is a root where carbohydrates are stored by the plant while potato is a stem.

▪ Yam is the tuber of a tropical vine and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato. Yams have a higher moisture content and they contain more sugar than sweet potatoes. They have an unusual earthy taste and are starchier and drier.

▪ There are different sizes– long and thin to short and blocky and colourvarieties– purple, orange, yellow and white of sweet potatoes.

▪ Sweet potato juice is mixed with lime juice to make a cloth dye. Every shade from pink to purple to black can be obtained by different proportions of the juices in the mixture.

▪ Sweet potatoes are sold as street food during winter in China and Dominicans have them for breakfast.

Sweet Potato Nutrition and Health Benefits:

• Sweet potato nutrition : Excellent source of vitamin A, very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.

• Beta carotene- crayola is an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A and is responsible for producing new skin cells in your body. Sweet potatoes may help you have a great, smooth and healthy looking skin.

• Antioxidants in sweet potatoes are proven to strengthen the immunityof your body against infections.

• It is great for those that exercise a lot, since sweet potatoes are high in vitamins and minerals. They give you an energy boost and can also help prevent injuries and cramps thanks to their potassium content.

• Potassium does help in stress management by normalizing the heartbeat, regulating the water balance in your body and sending the oxygen to your brain.

• Sweet potatoes have high fiber content and they help reduce the risk of constipation, hemorrhoid, colon and rectal cancers.

• Due to being low to medium GI, high in fiber and low in fat they can be efficient in weight loss and weight management.

• They have a high folate content, which is important for healthy fetal cell and tissue development.

• As sweet potatoes help stabilize blood glucose and lower insulin resistance, they are suitable for diabetics.

• They may save smokers’ lives due to Vitamin A content. A common carcinogen in cigarettes, benzoapyrene, may induce vitamin A deficiency. Some smokers don’t develop emphysema and live very long, possibly because of their vitamin A rich diets.

• Sweet potatoes are great for lowering blood pressure, proper blood flow and blood purification- owing to iron and calcium.

Sweet Potato Glycemic Index:

The glycemic index measures how quickly certain foods release carbohydrates into the body. High-GI foods cause blood sugar levels to spike, while low-GI foods release glucose slowly into the bloodstream. Sweet potato is a low to medium- glycemic index (GI) food, which could be good news for diabetics.

Storage and Serving to Maintain Sweet Potato Nutrition:

• Choose darker sweet potatoes-high carotene content, that are firm and bruise or crack free.

• Don’t buy those in the cold/ fridge section of supermarkets as they don’t taste as good when stored at cold temperature. But keep them in a cool ventilated place away from stove or oven, they will last up to 10 days.

• Organic sweet potato’s skin is suitable for eating but not the usual- conventionally grown ones as the skin is sometimes treated with dye or wax.

• Roasting or a wet heat cooking- steaming should be preferred over boiling to avoid the water soluble nutrients leeching excessively.

• Unfortunately, when sweet potatoes begin to go off, you cannot just cut away the bad part, since the damage will be reflected in the flavor of the entire potato.

 

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References:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64.

Ensminger AH, Esminger M. K. J. e. al. Food for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopedia. Clovis, California: Pegus Press; 1986 1986. PMID:15210.

Ensminger AH, Ensminger, ME, Kondale JE, Robson JRK. Foods & Nutriton Encyclopedia. Pegus Press, Clovis, California 1983: Sweet Potato Nutrition .

Terahara N, Konczak-Islam I, Nakatani M, et al. Anthocyanins in callus induced from purple storage root of Ipomoea batatas L. Phytochemistry 2000 Aug;54(8):919-22 2000. PMID:13870.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato – Sweet Potato Nutrition .

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research: cgiar.org/impact/research/sweetpotato.html.

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