Health Benefits of Sweet Potato

Sweet potato, the starchy, sweet-tasting root vegetable, is one of the most nutritious foods you can add to your diet. It comes in different sizes and colours, including orange, purple, white, etc. However, they are all rich in fibre, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

Here, you will find the health benefits of sweet potato and the different ways you can add it to your daily life. So, if you are interested, read along!

What Are the Health Benefits of Sweet Potato?

This colourful root vegetable is packed with nutrition and must be added to your regular diet so you can enjoy the following benefits of sweet potatoes:

1. Supports Gut Health

Sweet potato is a rich source of fibre that helps keep your digestive system healthy. Not only this, but this vegetable has two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble, that stay within your digestive tract and maintain gut function. Where viscous soluble fibre absorbs water and softens your stool, non-viscous insoluble fibre adds bulk. In addition, eating sweet potatoes daily provides the body with good bacteria (lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium), which reduces the risk of diarrhoea.

2. Reduces the Risk of Cancer

One of the biggest advantages of sweet potatoes is that they are associated with preventing cancer. This superfood enriches your body with antioxidants and protects the body against any damage by free radicals. However, remember that the peels of purple sweet potatoes contain the greatest number of antioxidants. So, eat it without peeling off the skin; instead, scrub before cooking.

3. Improves Vision

By eating sweet potatoes daily, you can meet the beta-carotene requirement of the body. These antioxidants convert themselves to vitamin A in your body and help detect light inside your eyes. The deficiency of vitamin A is a common problem that results in a special type of blindness called xerophthalmia. However, by eating bright orange coloured sweet potato, you can cure it of the root. Apart from this, purple-coloured sweet potatoes have also benefited eye vision.

4. Boosts Immunity

There is also immunity strengthening benefits of eating sweet potato thanks to the presence of beta-carotene antioxidants in the vegetable. Your body requires vitamin A in large quantities to maintain the integrity of the mucous membrane in your gut and respiratory system. However, if the required percentage of vitamin A in the body is not met, it results in low blood levels, which directly affect by weakening the immunity.

Apart from this, since sweet potato also helps in keeping your gut healthy, this, in turn, reduces the chances of gut inflammation and increases the power of your immune system to respond better.

5. Improves Brain Function

Sweet potato has also been associated with improving the function of the brain by supplying anthocyanins in the body. This compound is present in large quantities in purple-coloured sweet potatoes and helps protect your brain from the damage of free radicals and reduces inflammation.

Not only this, but this compound has also proved to improve the memory power of the brain and improve learning capacity because of its antioxidant properties. In addition, by meeting the requirement of antioxidants, you are also reducing the chances of suffering from dementia and mental decline.

6. Promotes Healthy Hair and Skin

Other advantages of eating sweet potatoes are it helps promote the health of skin and hair by enriching your body with vitamin C requirements. Your body needs vitamin C to make collagen, a protein found in your muscle, skin, hair, ligaments, tendons, bones, etc. So, it helps keep them healthy. However, if you do not meet the requirement, your skin and hair will dry out. So, make sure you replenish it by consuming this root vegetable daily.

7. Maintains Healthy Weight

If you are looking to lose weight, then adding sweet potato to your daily diet will help because of its nutritious and filling nature. The presence of fibre and complex carbohydrates in it keeps you full, gives a lasting sense of satisfaction, and packs you with sustained energy. You will be getting lots of nutrients in just a few calories.

What Is the Nutritional Value of Consuming Sweet Potato?

The following is the nutritional value of sweet potatoes that you can extract by consuming 80 grams of sweet potatoes in one serving:

Energy: 67 kcal
Protein: 0.9 grams
Fat: 0.2 grams
Sugar: 6.7 grams
Carbohydrates: 16.3 grams
Carotenes: 3012 micrograms
Potassium: 280 milligrams
Vitamin C: 14 milligrams

How to Include Sweet Potatoes in Your Daily Diet?

You can enjoy this power packed nutritious vegetable in many ways. There are both simple and advanced ways mentioned for you down here:

1. Baked and Crispy

The most favourite way of enjoying sweet potato is by baking it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until crispy brown. However, to make it a little tastier, don’t forget to brush up some olive oil and sprinkle spices on it.

2. Sweet Dish

If you have a sweet tooth, you can enjoy it by dicing, cooking, peeling off its skin, and then drizzling some maple syrup. Here is a perfect sweet side dish you can have with your meals.

3. Salad

When making a potato salad, replace the normal potato with sweet potato and give it a whole new taste. It is sure to surprise your taste buds.

4. Pancakes

pancakes image — (source : smilesandwich)

You can also eat sweet potatoes in the form of your favourite pancakes every morning. Moreover, to make it even more delicious, top it with apple walnut topping. It complements the taste very well.

Who Should Avoid Eating Sweet Potatoes?

Generally speaking, sweet potatoes are a highly nutritious food to consume daily. It cures various health problems and provides the body with vital sources. However, it is recommended to avoid eating it in some cases as it may negatively affect the body. Some cases have been mentioned for you below:

Liver or Kidney Patient: If you have liver or kidney problems, it may be dangerous for you to eat sweet potatoes because of the presence of high potassium in the vegetable. It often gets accumulated in the body and interferes with the functioning of your organs.
Stomach Issues: You should also avoid eating sweet potatoes when you have stomach problems. The vegetable is a rich source of fibre that may pressure your digestive system resulting in stomach aches, diarrhoea, and bloating.
Diabetic Patient: Even though sweet potato is a low glycemic index food, it can spike the blood sugar level of a diabetic patient. So, they should avoid eating it altogether.

What Are the Side Effects of Overeating Sweet Potatoes?

There is no side effect of sweet potato if you eat it in a controlled way. However, when overconsumed, it may start showing some side effects in people like the ones mentioned below:

Kidney Stones: This root vegetable is rich in oxalate content, and if accumulated in the body, it can lead to gallbladder and kidney stones. So, it is best to consult a doctor about the consumption level and eat it in moderation.
Heart Problems: By overconsuming sweet potatoes, you will be providing your body with excessive potassium that can interfere with the heart rhythm and lead to cases of heart attack or hyperkalemia.
Vitamin A Toxicity: By eating too many sweet potatoes, you risk your body suffering from vitamin A toxicity. This is because this vegetable is a primary source of the compound and may cause rashes and unbearable headaches.

To enjoy the above-mentioned health benefits of sweet potatoes, incorporate them into your daily diet by speaking with your dietician. It is a nutrient-dense root vegetable that helps your body by providing it with antioxidants and fibre. Moreover, it also protects your health by preventing damage from free radicals. However, also watch out for the side effects of sweet potatoes if you are a diabetic, liver, kidney or heart patient.

Frequently Asked Questions

✓ Does cooking sweet potatoes affect the nutritional value of the vegetable?

Cooking reduces the level of beta-carotene present in the vegetable, increasing the vitamin C content. However, if you are boiling the vegetable instead, it will have higher retention than when baking it.

✓ In what forms can you have sweet potatoes?

Surprisingly there are many forms you can have sweet potatoes with or without their skin, boiled, baked, fried, roasted, steamed, and pan-cooked. Moreover, you can also pair them with your favourite seasoning, including savoury and sweet tastes.