In recent times, sweet potatoes have become a staple food in many parts of the world. This is due to the ease of preparation, the delicious taste and most importantly, its rich nutrient. Sweet potatoes are high in fibre, vitamin C, potassium, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, and copper.
Sweet potatoes are root tubers. Root tubers store water and energy, like starch and other carbohydrates, underground. Other root tubers include beets, carrots, parsnips, celeriac, and turnips.
This article looks at the nutritional value and possible health benefits of sweet potato. These are 7 reasons you should eat sweet potatoes.
It supports digestive health
Sweet potatoes include a lot of fiber, which has been proved to help with digestion. Much of the study has been done on animals, but it appears that high amounts of plant sterols (phytosterols) in sweet potatoes may have a protective impact on the digestive tract and may be effective in the prevention and treatment of duodenal and gastric ulcers, especially those caused by NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen).
Improves insulin sensitivity in diabetes
In a 2008 study, researchers found that an extract of white skinned sweet potatoes improved insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes.
Earlier in 2000, laboratory rats consumed either white skinned sweet potatoes or an insulin sensitizer, called troglitazone, for 8 weeks. Levels of insulin resistance improved in those that consumed the sweet potato.
The fibre in sweet potatoes is also important. Studies have found that people who consume more fibre appear to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Good for eye health
Sweet potatoes are high in nutrients that have been linked to better eye health and eyesight. Carotenoids are among the most potent. They contain the antioxidants alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
Worldwide, vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, which our body converts to vitamin A. This is important for night vision and maintaining the health of the eye.
Moreso, a study by Food & Nutrition Research found that purple sweet potatoes contain a specific group of antioxidants known as anthocyanins, which have also been shown to be of benefit to the eyes.
Provides Essential Minerals
Minerals are just as essential as vitamins, and that same medium-sized sweet potato provides 25% of the daily value of manganese, 20% of the daily value of copper, and 12% of the daily value of potassium.
Getting enough manganese is important for promoting bone health, producing sex hormones, and regulating blood sugar, copper helps our bodies with a variety of functions such as making red blood cells, and potassium is essential for regulating fluid balance, contracting muscles, and maintaining healthy nerve function.
May Improve Brain Function
Sweet potatoes include chemicals that aid brain function, such as choline and manganese. Choline is essential for brain growth and development, as well as the manufacture of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which communicates between cells.
Sweet potatoes include a variety of antioxidants, including carotenoids and anthocyanins, which are considered to help reduce age-related reductions in brain function and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Carotenoids present in orange sweet potatoes have been demonstrated to decrease cognitive decline (keeping you sharper for longer), while anthocyanins found in purple sweet potatoes have been proved to increase memory and learning in animal experiments.
Keep Your Heart Healthy
The high fibre content of sweet potatoes can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, helping to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Sweet potatoes are also high in potassium, which works in balance with sodium in your body to maintain healthy blood pressure.
They’re also high in copper, an essential metal for making red blood cells and keeping your heart healthy. Low levels of copper have been linked to dangerously high homocysteine, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol levels.
Can Promote Healthy Skin and Hair
One of the rich nutrients in sweet potatoes is vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for our bodies to make collagen, a protein found in the skin and hair (as well as in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones) that keep them looking and feeling healthy.
While the body’s production of collagen declines naturally as we age, getting enough vitamin C is important to keep it producing as much as it can. The vitamin A we get from sweet potatoes can benefit skin and hair, too, like keeping both from drying out.