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What Are the Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable that has been cultivated for thousands of years and provides sweet, starchy tubers. Although they most frequently are the familiar bright orange, pumpkins also come in other colors: yellow, white., and purple, with differing nutritional profiles. Sweet potatoes are jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. As such, sweet potatoes add so much more than just a great taste to your meals. Here is an article on all of the health benefits sweet potatoes have to offer, with scientific backup and expert commentary.

1. Rich Source of Nutrients

Sweet potatoes are known as a superfood because of their great nutrient profile. What You Get in a Sweet Potato — 1 medium, about 130g:

Calories: 103
Carbohydrates: 24 grams
Protein: 2.3 grams
Fat: 0.2 grams
Fiber: 4 grams
Vitamin A — 769% of the DV
Vitamin C: 35% of the DV
Vitamin B6: 16% of the DV
Potassium: 15% of the DV
Manganese: 25% of the DV

Sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that gives the orange variety of sweet potatoes their color and is also a good source of vitamin A.

2. Excellent Source of Antioxidants

Packed with antioxidants, sweet potatoes can help reduce oxidative stress that otherwise puts people at risk for chronic diseases. Oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body, which can ultimately lead to cell damage and inflammation.

Vitamin A: Beta-carotene, found in orange sweet potatoes, is a provitamin that your body can convert into Vitamin A. It serves as an essential antioxidant for eye health (prevent macular degeneration), immune function, and lesser known skin quality.
Plus, it contains anti-inflammatory anthocyanins and antioxidants, this time found in purple sweet potatoes. Findings indicate that anthocyanins could possibly lower your risk of heart disease, improve cognitive function, and boost general wellbeing.
Chlorogenic Acid: This natural antioxidant present in both orange and purple sweet potatoes has been shown to have the ability to reduce blood pressure; this implies that it could be effective for reducing cardiovascular diseases.

3. Supports Immune System Function

Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, which is important for a healthy immune system. Vitamin A is necessary for the integrity of skin and mucous membranes that line our body cavities, protecting against entry of pathogens. Vitamin A also helps maintain the production and function of white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting infections.

Sweet potatoes also contribute to immune health with another powerful antioxidant, Vitamin C White blood cells are produced more actively, your immune system functions at a higher level and you become less susceptible to colds & flu.

4. Promotes Healthy Vision

Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A and is responsible for good vision. This is one of the vitamins your body takes to make rhodopsin, a protein in the eyes that helps you see at night. Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness and other visual disturbances.

In addition, sweet potato antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin work to defend the eyes against oxidative damage as well as decreasing your chances of understanding age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is most widespread in people aged 50+.

5. Supports Digestive Health

This being said, sweet potatoes have a great source of dietary fiber, which is healthy for your bowel movements. Sweet potatoes, especially soluble fiber that is fermented in the digestive tract and results to butyrate, reported notable improvement effects on defecate frequency by bulking up stools and consequently having an almost natural laxative effect.

Helps Gut Health- The high fiber in sweet potatoes acts as a prebiotic (a food that nourishes the good gut bacteria) It has been found that having a flourishing garden of gut microbiota can lift our spirits and further lead to improved digestion, an enhanced immune system, as well as lower risks of health issues relating to the gastrointestinal tract.
Fiber: The fiber in a sweet potato helps to stabilize blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of carbohydrates into your bloodstream. Sweet potatoes have a low GI, which can help reduce blood sugar highs and increase insulin sensitivity, making sweet potatoes good for diabetics.

6. Helps Regulate Blood Sugar Levels

Although sweet potatoes taste like they should be bad for you, the reality is that because of their low glycemic index (GI), they have a moderate effect on blood sugars when eaten. Some of this comes from their fiber, which prevents quick uptake of sugar into the blood.

Sweet potatoes (particularly the orange kind) will sweeten your life and help with insulin sensitivity.Tests have shown that caiapo, a type of novel bulb extract from white-skinned sweet potatoes, improves insulin sensivity. Studies show that sweet potatoes have been able to help reduce fasting blood sugar levels and improve insulin response, therefore making them a great food for those with type 2 diabetes.
Blood Sugar Spikes: The fiber and complex carbohydrates found in sweet potatoes provide a slow release of energy, which can help regulate blood sugar. Which makes them an excellent option for sustained energy, especially if you have diabetes or are working to balance your blood sugar.

7. Supports Heart Health

Several ways in which the sweet potatoes are beneficial for heart health? The antioxidants in them, when combined with other vitamins and minerals along with fiber, can help lower the risk of heart disease.

Potassium The presence of potassium in sweet potatoes is good for maintaining healthy blood pressure by keeping salt levels balanced. The increased potassium intake is consumed with the diet of a typical Filipino food, which predicts only an intermittent risk for hypertension and stroke.
Fiber: The high fiber content in sweet potatoes also helps lower cholesterol by binding with the cholesterol so it cannot be absorbed into your bloodstream and is removed from your body. Cholesterol Levels: Reducing the level of cholesterol is important for preventing heart disease.
Antioxidants: Sweet potatoes provide a range of antioxidants, such as beta-carotene and anthocyanins, which can help protect the heart from oxidative damage that causes inflammation.

8. May Have Cancer-Fighting Properties

It has been shown in research that sweet potatoes possess some cancer fighting antioxidants. Sweet potatoes: These contain beta-carotene, anthocyanins, and other antioxidants that protect cells from DNA damage.

Studies suggest that diets high in beta-carotene may lower the risk for many types of cancer, including lung and breast cancers. The ability of beta-carotenes to quench free radicals, hence counteracting oxidative damage, is largely responsible for some chemoprotective effect against carcinogenesis.
Anthocyanins: Deep purple sweet potatoes, in particular, are a rich source of anthocyanins, which have been found to help clear up cancerous cells in the colon and stomach. These agents work by inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels, which tumors require to grow and spread.
Chlorogenic Acid: Sweet potatoes are high in chlorogenic acid, a type of hydroxycinnamic acid that has been associated with decreased risk for cancers such as hepatic and lung cancers.

9. Supports Brain Health

Antioxidants present in sweet potatoes, especially anthocyanins, which give purple varieties their color, could help support brain health by potentially having neuroprotective effects.

Improves Cognitive Function: Anthocyanins have significantly improved cognitive functions by reducing brain inflammation and oxidative stress. This can reduce risk of developing age related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Memory and Learning: Studies done on animals have shown that pink sweet potatoes can enhance memory as well as learning, indicating antioxidants in them might offer the equivalent health advantages to people.
Mood and Mental Health The B-vitamins in sweet potatoes, especially Vitamin B6, play an important part in brain function and mental health. Vitamin B6 is essential in the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which regulate mood.

10. Supports Skin Health

Sweet potatoes are nutrient dense and help to produce collagen, provide sun protection against UV rays, and improve skin integrity.

Vitamin A: this is a REALLY important one and goes back to what I said earlier about the difference in bioavailability of beta-carotene [then Vitamin A] found in sweet potatoes vs. . pre-formed vitamin A from our animal friends.
Building Collagen: Sweet potatoes are loaded with Vitamin C that is important for collagen production, which in turn maintains elasticity of your skin and decreases the visibility of wrinkles or fine lines.
Protection Against UV Damage: The antioxidants present in sweet potatoes (especially beta-carotene) act as a natural sunscreen for the skin, protecting it from the harmful impacts of UVA and UVB rays. It can also protect against sunburn, premature skin aging, and finally skin cancer.

11. Supports Weight Management

Sweet potatoes, with their high fiber content and calorie density, are an excellent choice to help satisfy you while on a weight management plan.

Fiber is known to keep you full, and since sweet potatoes are high in fiber, it can help reduce overall calorie intake. It can be especially helpful for people with weight loss or weight maintenance goals.
Despite being nutrient-dense, sweet potatoes are also low in calorie density. This is why they provide a perfect food for weight loss without having to subtract any nutritional value.
Stable Energy: Sweet potato includes complex carbs that offer enduring power as well as aid in avoiding these blood glucose degree mishaps that lead you right into searching for wicked snacks.

12. Versatility in Cooking

In addition to all of the amazing health benefits, they are also a very versatile veggie and can be used so many different ways! You can bake, boil, steam, roast mash or grill them and use in a savoury dish as well as the sweet ones. Their sweet flavor is well-liked and used in many recipes.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Toss your cubed sweet potatoes in some olive oil salt and spices; pop them into the oven to bake a lovely side dish.
Sweet Potato Mash: Bring some sweet potatoes to a boil & mash them up with butter/coconut oil or add in cinnamon and salt for flavour.
Sweet Potatoe Fries: Prepare thin cut sweet potatoes, coat with olive oil and bake them until they are crispy and crunchy instead of your everyday fries, which are tons healthier.
Sweet Potato Soups and Stews: Sweet potatoes in soups and stews are a great way to incorporate them; they make for filling, nutrient-dense, balanced meals.
Desserts Made with Sweet Potatoes — bake a pie, cake or pudding using sweet potatoes for an automatically healthier alternative to many other dessert recipes.
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Conclusion: What Are the Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of many nutrients and research indicates a range of potential health benefits. Sweet potatoes play a big role in supporting immune function, promoting healthy vision, regulating blood sugar levels and protecting against diseases sweet potato benefits are too good to ignore. With a robust variety of nutrients lumped with their kitchen merit, for those who are aiming to supplement food into the diet that is healthy and will improve overall health preemptively. Sweet Potatoes — Whether you like them roasted, mashed or baked, sweet potatoes are a delicious addition to your plate that are also extra-good for you.