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Health Benefits of Sweet Potato

Anu | March 23, 2013 Comment

The health benefits of sweet potato are so many that it should be topmost on the list of healthy foods that we should consume on a regular basis.

The Center of Science in the Public Interest recommends eating more sweet potatoes since they provide everything that a nutritious diet should: they are high in fiber, protein, Vitamins A, C, E, iron and calcium, rich in complex carbohydrates, and low in fat.

People have been enjoying sweet potatoes for thousands of years. Sweet potatoes have yellow, white, or orange flesh with skins that vary in color from orange, red, yellow, purple, to white. In the US, the terms sweet potato and yam are used interchangeably. Yams are actually a different genus from the sweet potato; unlike sweet potatoes, yams have rough, scaly skins and are also low in beta carotene.

It is believed that Christopher Columbus introduced the sweet potato to Europe after his first trip to the New World in 1492. In the US, farmers began to cultivate sweet potatoes in the sixteenth century. Sweet potatoes are also very popular in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and are commercially produced in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Uganda, Japan, and India.

Sweet Potato Nutrition

Quick Facts

Sweet potatoes have a high nutrition value when compared to other vegetables. They are fat-free and low in calories, and a great food for any weight-loss plan.

Sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin A. Beta carotene, from which the orange ones get their orange color, gets converted to vitamin A in the body, and research shows that vitamins A and C reduce the risk of certain cancers such as colon cancer, and atherosclerosis, and also slow down the aging process.

The high carotenoid level in the sweet potatoes also result in other health benefits; they help in stabilizing blood sugar levels and are therefore a great food for diabetics.

Because of the anti-inflammatory properties that beta carotene has, sweet potatoes are a great food for preventing and treating arthritis, asthma, fibromyalgia, and other inflammatory conditions.

Beta carotene or vitamin A is essential for maintaining the immune system, and as such sweet potatoes can help in the prevention and treatment of cold and flu, and ear and other infections.

Among other important health benefits of sweet potato is that as an excellent source of fiber, it promotes the health of the colon and reduces the risk of colon cancer.

The sweet potato is among the top three food sources of potassium, so important for maintaining heart health, and preventing or reducing high blood pressure. According to the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association, one simple thing we can all do to protect ourselves from stroke, heart disease, and cancer is eat more sweet potatoes.