Sweet Potatoes: More than Just for a Holiday Treat
When entering into the holiday season we are surrounded by so many delectable treats for both dinner and dessert. How many can you name? What are your favorites?
Around Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas and New Year’s (depending on the family), we come across a lot of different ways to cook and eat sweet potatoes. Sometimes my family will eat some sweet potato dishes all year long.
How many can you name?
We have: sweet potato soufflé, sweet potato pie, baked sweet potatoes, boiled sweet potatoes, steamed sweet potatoes…
Even though sweet potatoes are sweet and yummy, they are actually GOOD for you! Something that is both healthy and tastes good. That’s the kind of health food I like, too. Let’s explore why they are good for you.
Vitamins
Sweet potatoes are loaded with an assortment of important vitamins including: Vitamin C, B Vitamins (B6, B12, B1, B2, and B3), biotin (AKA Vitamin B7), pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), and Vitamin A.
For a chart of the Daily Values click here.
Minerals
Sweet potatoes also contain an assortment of minerals as well: manganese, copper, phosphorus, and potassium.
They are also an excellent source of fiber.
Other Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes also contain nutrients that help with inflammation and regulating blood sugar. They also contain batatins that have antifungal and antibacterial properties which are not fully understood at this time.
Sweet Potatoes of a Different Color
Not all sweet potatoes are all the same orange color that we are familiar with, they can be purple which they contain more antioxidants than simply beta carotene. Purple sweet potatoes contain cyanins and peondins in the flesh as opposed to the skin. Antioxidants are important in helping eliminate free radicals and heavy metals that are harmful to the body.
Spicing Things Up
Adding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves not only adds some great taste and pizzazz to sweet potatoes, they also add other nutritional benefits and antioxidants as well.
It’s amazing to me that something that is known as a vegetable and super-food can be found at the dessert table and can be eaten for that same reason. So here are some good reasons why you can eat sweet potatoes all year long and not just as a Holiday treat!
Amanda Taylor (Soaring Eagle Publications)
I would like to thank Amanda Taylor, with Soaring Eagle Publications for guest blogging on this website.
To Your Health,
Jenay Green
Photo credit vegkitchen.com
Sources: The George MateljanFoundation
