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How nutritious are sweet potatoes

December 19, 2008



Sweet potatoes add flavour to your meals throughout the year. Even sweeter are their nutritional details. Scientifically referred to as Ipomoea batatas, sweet potatoes are actually tuberous roots. They are modified to lateral roots and perform the function of a storage organ. Sweet potatoes are rich in their nutritional value.

Sweet potatoes are made available in a range of colours varying from purple or red to pale yellow or white. The colour of this food stuff largely depends on the soil type and climate. The flesh colour of sweet potato is based on its antioxidant capacity and beta-carotene content.

The nutritional value for sweet potato amounts to twice the recommended daily allowance of Vitamins such as A, C, and B. When eaten along with its edible skin, sweet potatoes are abundant in their fibre content and are richer than oatmeal. By including this vegetable in your daily diet, you are actually satisfying much of your body’s nutrient requirements.

The minerals present in sweet potato include manganese, iron, potassium and copper. Being a storage vegetable, sweet potatoes are rich in their antioxidant properties. Both Vitamin C and beta-carotene present in sweet potatoes serve as abundant sources of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

This vegetable also contains Vitamin B6, which effectively brings down homocysteine levels in the blood. As a result of this process, the risk of coronary ailments get considerably decreased. Making sweet potatoes an essential ingredient of your diet will also save you from complications such as lung inflammation and smoking-related disorders like emphysema.

Contrary to the popular belief, this vegetable effectively regulates the sugar level in blood by improving the functioning of insulin. This does not mean diabetic patients should increasingly take in sweet potatoes. But, once in awhile, they can effectively replace rice or other carbohydrate suppliant with sweet potatoes. The anti-inflammatory properties of this vegetable make it ideal for ulcer patients as well.


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