4/1/2023 0 Comments Calories in sweet potato![]() Insoluble fiber promotes bowel regularity (another way of saying it can keep you from getting constipated), while soluble fiber becomes fuel for the good bacteria in your gut, also known as your gut microbiome. Not only does a sweet potato give you 4 grams of fiber (14% of what you need in a day based on the daily value), but it also gives you both types of fiber, insoluble and soluble. Let’s talk about the fiber in sweet potatoes for gut health specifically, though. Despite those impressive benefits, a staggering 9 out of 10 of us aren’t getting enough. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of fiber, which has been linked to a variety of benefits, from promoting heart health to lowering the risk of diabetes and certain types of cancer. That’s compared to simple carbohydrates, like the sugar used to make things like candy, pastries, and sugary drinks, which are digested very quickly and provide a quick but short-lived energy burst. Sweet potatoes have something called complex carbohydrates, which means they take longer for your body to break down, leading to less of a spike in blood sugar and more sustained energy. But, while they’re all broken down into glucose in the end, not all carbs are created equal when it comes to their effect on blood sugar. ![]() Sweet potatoes have complex carbsĭespite the popularity of ultra-low-carb diets, our bodies need adequate amounts of carbohydrates to survive because they’re our number one source of energy. 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. 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. Sweet potatoes provide essential minerals That’s a big nutritional bang for your buck! 2. In fact, just one medium-sized baked sweet potato gives you more than 100% of the daily value of vitamin A, 25% of the daily value of vitamin C, and 19% of the daily value of vitamin B6. Sweet potatoes are perhaps most well-known for their vitamin A content (actually present as beta-carotene, a plant pigment that gives sweet potatoes their orange color and that our bodies convert to vitamin A once we eat them), but they’re also a good source of vitamin C and vitamin B6. Sweet potatoes contain important vitamins The benefits of sweet potatoes all map back to their impressive nutritional profile, and including them in a well-rounded diet is a great way to support overall health. Since part of a plant’s nutrient profile depends on its color, each variety has a slightly different make-up, but all have the potential to benefit your health. The sweet potatoes you’re probably most familiar with have bright orange flesh, but they come in a wide variety of colors from pink and purple to yellow and white (and in case you’re wondering, yes - white sweet potatoes are different than regular white potatoes). Though you might find them labeled interchangeably (i.e., incorrectly) in the produce aisle, true yams are blackish-brown on the outside, white or purple on the inside, and less sweet than a sweet potato. They’re also completely different than yams. ![]() Because they’re essentially nutrient silos, it’s no wonder sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial compounds. Root tubers, like sweet potatoes and cassava, are bulb-like portions of the root where plants stockpile extra nutrients to stay alive through winter. ![]() Sweet potatoes are often put in the same metaphorical bucket as root vegetables like carrots and beets, but they’re actually something called a root tuber. Read on to learn why sweet potatoes are so good for you (and remember this list the next time you pass a pile of these starchy little gems at the store). ![]()
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