Not only are sweet potatoes
readily available, inexpensive, and delicious, they have many other benefits for
your health. Here are 9:
1. They are high in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 helps reduce the chemical
homocysteine in our bodies. Homocysteine has been linked with degenerative
diseases, including heart attacks.
2. They are a good source of vitamin C. While most people know that vitamin C is
important to help ward off cold and flu viruses, few people are aware that this
crucial vitamin plays an important role in bone and tooth formation, digestion,
and blood cell formation. It helps accelerate wound healing, produces collagen
which helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity, and is essen¬tial to helping us
cope with stress. It even appears to help protect our body against toxins that
may be linked to cancer.
3. They contain Vitamin D which is critical for immune system and overall health
at this time of year. Both a vitamin and a hormone, vitamin D is primarily made
in our bodies as a result of getting adequate sunlight. You may have heard about
seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, as it is also called), which is linked to
inadequate sunlight and therefore a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D plays an
important role in our energy levels, moods, and helps to build healthy bones,
heart, nerves, skin, and teeth, and it supports the thyroid gland.
4. Sweet potatoes contain iron. Most people are aware that we need the mineral
iron to have adequate energy, but iron plays other important roles in our body,
including red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, proper
im¬mune functioning, and the metabolizing of protein, among other things.
5. Sweet potatoes are a good source of mag¬nesium, which is the relaxation and
anti-stress mineral. Magnesium is necessary for healthy artery, blood, bone,
heart, muscle, and nerve function, yet experts estimate that approximately 80
percent of the popula¬tion in North America may be deficient in this important
mineral.
6. They are a source of potassium, one of the important electrolytes that help
regulate heartbeat and nerve signals. Like the other electrolytes, potassium
performs many essential functions, some of which include relaxing muscle
contractions, reducing swelling, and protecting and controlling the activity of
the kidneys.
7. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet-tasting but their natural sugars are
slowly released into the bloodstream, helping to ensure a balanced and regular
source of energy, without the blood sugar spikes linked to fatigue and weight
gain.
8. Their rich orange color indicates that they are high in carotenoids like beta
carotene and other carotenoids, which is the precursor to vitamin A in your
body. Carotenoids help strengthen our eyesight and boost our immunity to
disease, they are powerful antioxidants that help ward off cancer and protect
against the effects of aging. Studies at Harvard University of more than 124,000
people showed a 32 percent reduction in risk of lung cancer in people who
consumed a variety of carotenoid-rich foods as part of their regular diet.
Another study of women who had completed treatment for early stage breast cancer
conducted by researchers at Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) found that
women with the highest blood concentrations of carotenoids had the least
likelihood of cancer recurrence.
9. There are versatile. Try them roasted, puréed, steamed, baked, or grilled.
You can add them to soups and stews, or grill and place on top of leafy greens
for a delicious salad. I enjoy grilling them with onions and red peppers for
amazing sandwich or wrap ingredients. Puree them and add to smoothies and baked
goods.