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11 Impressive Benefits Of Sweet Potatoes
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The health benefits of sweet potatoesinclude their ability to help in healthy weight gain, boost immunity, regulate digestion, treat asthma and bronchitis, and control diabetes. Sweet potatoes also help in treating stomach ulcers and relieving arthritis pain.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What are Sweet Potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are tuberous crops with the scientific name Ipomoea batatas. [1] The plant is a creeper with heart-shaped or lobed leaves. The color of the tuber varies from purple to red to pale yellow and to white, depending upon the variety, the soil type, the climate it grows in, and the available minerals. As the name implies, sweet potatoes are naturally sweet and its flavor can be enhanced when cooked.
The red variety has a drier and harder flesh while the white and yellow sweet potatoes have juicier flesh. The red variety has a characteristic aroma which becomes more prominent when boiled. The variety of taste, textures, and colors can be attributed to its antioxidants and vitamins content. The reddish and orange the colored sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene, while the purple sweet potatoes are rich in anthocyanin.
Serving Size :
100 g
1 cup, cubes (133 g)
1 sweetpotato, 5″ long (130 g)
NutrientValueWater [g]77.28Energy [kcal]86Protein [g]1.57Total lipid (fat) [g]0.05Carbohydrate, by difference [g]20.12Fiber, total dietary [g]3Sugars, total [g]4.18Calcium, Ca [mg]30Iron, Fe [mg]0.61Magnesium, Mg [mg]25Phosphorus, P [mg]47Potassium, K [mg]337Sodium, Na [mg]55Zinc, Zn [mg]0.3Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid [mg]2.4Thiamin [mg]0.08Riboflavin [mg]0.06Niacin [mg]0.56Vitamin B-6 [mg]0.21Folate, DFE [µg]11Vitamin B-12 [µg]0Vitamin A, RAE [µg]709Vitamin A, IU [IU]14187Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) [mg]0.26Vitamin D (D2 + D3) [µg]0Vitamin D [IU]0Vitamin K (phylloquinone) [µg]1.8Fatty acids, total saturated [g]0.02Fatty acids, total monounsaturated [g]0Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated [g]0.01Fatty acids, total trans [g]0Cholesterol [mg]0Caffeine [mg]0 Sources include : USDA [2]
Sweet Potatoes Nutrition
According to the USDA, sweet potatoes are a rich source of energy, carbohydrates, and fiber. [2] They also contain a wide array of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
They are also packed with other nutrients that include vitamins as well as provide phytosterols, isoflavones, and amino acids such as leucine, glutamic acid, and threonine. A single serving of sweet potato alone will provide more than 400% of your daily dose of vitamin A!
Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes have many health benefits. Let’s explore them in detail below.
Improve Digestion
The fiber content in sweet potatoes are higher than that of common potatoes and they taste better too! When these two factors are combined with other minerals like magnesium, which is present in these root vegetables, it makes an excellent facilitator for digestion. They are easy to digest since they mainly contain starch. They are soothing to the stomach and intestines, so you can avoid any difficulties in digesting them. Furthermore, fiber feeds the little microbes in our gut and thus help support and promote a healthy gut.
Promote Weight Gain
Sweet potatoes contain good amounts of complex starch, along with healthy vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Moreover, they are very easy to digest. Thus, they provide a lot of energy and are excellent bulk builders for people looking to gain weight.
People who have recently suffered from illnesses, or are self-conscious about being frail or abnormally thin should welcome this news about sweet potatoes since there are no associated side effects, which most of the synthetic bulk building dietary supplements have.
Treat Inflammation
Sweet potatoes have anti-inflammatoryproperties and are primarily due to the presence of beta-carotene, anthocyanins, vitamin C, and magnesium. Beta-carotenes and anthocyanins are active bio-compounds that may exert antioxidative effects when consumed and thereby reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Research and studieshave shown these compounds to possess potential suppressive anticancer activities and to promote immunity. [3] [4]
Boost Immune System
Sweet potatoes are excellent immune system boosters that defend your body from a wide variety of conditions. [5]As mentioned above, not only are they rich in antioxidant and vitamins, they are also rich in manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. All these nutrients help in strengthening the immunity and keeping you healthy.
Asthma Friendly Food
A study released by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that there is a positive association between antioxidant-rich diets and clinical asthma outcomes. Sweet potatoes are also one of the foods that are least probably to elicit an allergyreaction, a common inducer of asthma.
Treat Bronchitis
Sweet potatoes are believed to be capable of warming up the body, possibly due to the sweetness and other nutrients that impact body temperature. [6] This property is also beneficial for people suffering from bronchitis, along with its powerful effect on congestion. The concentration of vitamin C, iron, and other nutrients helps cure bronchitis.
Reduce Arthritis Pain
Beta-carotene, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B complex make sweet potatoes a highly important food source for managing arthritis. [7] The water in these tuberous vegetables are boiled can also be applied externally on joints to ease the associated pain of arthritis.
Anti-cancer Properties
Research conducted on laboratory mice by Khalid Asadi et al. [8] from the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, New Zealand suggested purple sweet potato anthocyanin-rich diets helped reduce and inhibit tumor growth (Biomed Research International 2015). Chemoprevention trials are needed on humans to understand the anti-cancer properties of sweet potato. [8] Additionally, a study conducted by researchers from Kansas State University, US suggested that anthocyanin-enriched sweet potato may protect against colorectalcancer due to its antiproliferative abilities. [9]
Treat Stomach Ulcers
Research shows that a high fiber diet and a diet rich in vitamin C reduces the risk of developing stomach ulcers. These are good news because sweet potatoes are rich in fiber and vitamin C. They also contain B-complex vitamins, potassium, and calcium are all very effective in curing stomach ulcers. [10] Moreover, the roughage obtained from fiber prevents constipation and the resultant acid formation, thereby reducing the chance of ulcers. [11] Their anti-inflammatory and soothing properties also reduce the pain and inflammation of the ulcers.
Control Diabetes
Contrary to popular belief, sweet potatoes may be an acceptable food for diabetics. Although it is high carbohydrate and sugar, it is considered a low-glycemic food and have a lower glycemic index than regular white potatoes. [1] Cooking methods also alter the glycemic index of sweet potatoes. For example, boiled sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index compared to roasted sweet potatoes. Of course, that does not mean that diabetics should eat them indiscriminately. The idea is that they can replace rice or white potatoes with sweet potatoes in their diet and cooking them by boiling rather than roasting.
Prevent Dehydration
The fiber or roughage present in sweet potatoes helps the body retain water. [11] This maintains water balance in the body, keeping you hydrated and your cells functioning efficiently.
Other Benefits
Sweet potatoes are effective for helping people quit addictions like smoking, drinking, and taking certain narcotics. They are good for the health of arteries and veins, as they protect their walls against hardening. The high concentration of beta-carotene (an alternative form of vitamin A) and phosphorus are excellent for both ocular and cardiac health. [12]
So, go out and grab a sweet potato for your next meal; they are delicious and nutritious. Yum! Yum! Yam!
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euzicasa 
very good article about potato but i read on a website that potato has some side effects too….
plz add side effects also your lovely post
Thanks
+1Reply
Best foods
+1Reply
Yea, all should go Vegan actually. Our bodies indicate we are herbivores with our long and alkaline intestines. Carnivores and omnivores have short intestines and acidic stomachs. Also the cholesterol and fat in meat and dairy feed heart disease, cancer and diebetes(type 2 especially).
+11Reply
Homo Sapiens ( people) also have acidic stomachs. The optimal Ph for the enzyme pepsin required for the digestion of proteins is about 3.5. The Ph of the intestines is most likely due to the optimal Ph of the enzymes used to breakdown and absorb nutrients in that area of the gut. So overall I don’t think your argument that this proves we are meant to be herbivores holds water. Also to be able to digest cellulose we would need a ruminant stomach.
+3Reply
In fact, although they are both root vegetables, they belong to two different plant families–the sweet potato is from the morning glory family while the yam is related to the lily. Yams are sweeter than the sweet potato, grow much larger and are also nutritionally inferior.
+6Reply
real good information. makes me want to be a vegetarian.
+3Reply
Thanks Jeffrey!
+4Reply