The sweet potato is a starchy, sweet-tasting root vegetable. They have thin, brown skin on the outside with coloured flesh inside – most commonly orange in colour, but other varieties are white, purple or yellow. You can eat sweet potatoes whole or peeled, and the leaves of the plant are edible, too.
Sweet potatoes are nutritious and delicious root vegetables. The sweet potato is creamy and soft enough to be an ingredient in several pie recipes, and most people think of the vegetable as merely a dessert ingredient. However, scientists have found that sweet potatoes are among the best sources of Vitamin A v. Sweet potatoes are also naturally packed with vitamin B5, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and carotenoids due to their naturally orange colour. Sweet potatoes are a natural and abundant source of beta-carotene and Vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential in helping the body fight off infections, and remain resistant to any further infections.
Learn more about why we need fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Sweet potatoes contain a significant amount of magnesium, which is an essential mineral for normal body functioning. One of the most important benefits of magnesium is that it helps reduce stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that an increase in magnesium deficiency in modern diets has resulted in a significant. Increase in the cases of depression reported across the world. For instance, some controlled studies have indicated that magnesium deficiency increases depression in women experiencing premenstrual symptoms
Sweet potatoes contain a significant amount of vitamins, most of which have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Studies carried out on the purple sweet potato have conclusively.
sweet potatoes help reduce the risk of cancer
While there are no single ‘superfoods’ that can prevent cancer. Certain risk factors for cancer are unrelated to diet. There is evidence that eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of cancer. Fruit and vegetables are high in antioxidants, compounds that help defend the body against damage by ‘free radicals’. Studies have suggested that the antioxidants in the peel of sweet potatoes in particular. Purple sweet potato may help reduce this oxidation process, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. To get the most nutrition from your sweet potatoes, don’t peel them – simply scrub them well before cooking.
A study in Asia also found that diets high in vitamin-A-rich vegetables, including sweet potato leaves, may provide potential protection from lung cancer.
Sweet potatoes can help guard against ulcers
An ulcer occurs when inflamed tissue is shed from the mucous membrane or from the skin, and it can be quite painful. Studies on animal models have shown that the methanol extract from the root of a sweet potato can protect the gastrointestinal tissues from aspirin-induced ulcers.
Another study showed that the flour in the roots of sweet potatoes helped. In the prevention of ethanol-related ulceration in the stomach in animal models.