The Health Properties of Sweet Potatoes

These sweet-tasting super-spuds hold a real healthy surprise.

These sweet-tasting super-spuds hold a real healthy surprise. Eat a baked sweet potato instead of a baked white potato, and yourย blood sugar will rise about 30 percent less!

Compared to regular potatoes, a.k.a. blood sugarย bombs, sweets rank relatively low on the GL scale.ย And the fact that they’re packed with nutrients andย disease-fighting fiber (almost 40 percent of which isย soluble fiber, the kind that helps lower blood sugarย and cholesterol) makes them a sweet deal indeed.ย Sweet potatoes are extraordinarily rich inย carotenoids, orange and yellow pigments that playย a role in helping the body respond to insulin. And asย unlikely as it may seem, coffee (another Magic food)ย and sweet potatoes have something in common:ย They’re both rich in the natural plant compoundย chlorogenic acid, which may help reduce insulinย resistance.

You may not think of vitamin C when you think ofย sweet potatoes, but they’re actually an excellentย source. That’s important when you’re battling highย blood sugar, because the vitamin’s antioxidant powersย may help keep arteries from being damaged. Vitamin Cย may also help fight heart disease and complications ofย diabetes, such as nerve and eye damage.

Like so many other good-for-us foods, sweet potatoesย are one of those staples that we like to gum upย with gooey ingredients that essentially turn it intoย candy; think maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, andย even marshmallows. If this is the only way you’veย ever enjoyed sweet potatoes, give some of our menuย suggestions a try. Steer clear of canned sweets, whichย are usually packed in sugary syrup.

Health Bonus
A recent study found that among almost 2,000 menย studied, those whose diets were richest in beta-caroteneย and vitamin C — two nutrients plentiful in sweet potatoes — were more likely to survive prostate cancer than those whose diets contained little of theย two nutrients.

The famous Nurses’ Health Study at Harvard Medicalย School found that women who ate lots of foods rich inย beta-carotene, such as sweet potatoes, reduced theirย risk of breast cancer by as much as 25 percent.ย Eating sweet potatoes is a smart move for you if youย have high blood pressure. That’s because they’re richย in potassium, a mineral known for bringing pressureย down. You’ll get more potassium from a sweet potatoย than you will from a banana!

Glycemic Load: Medium

Choose sweet potatoes that are heavy for their size,with intact peels (no decay). If you’re going to cookย them whole, buy potatoes that are similar in size so
the cooking time will be the same. Peel or scrubย thoroughly before cooking. They’ll keep for a monthย if you keep them cool but not cold (don’t put them in
the fridge).

Menu Magic
Don’t relegate sweet potatoes to candy-like dishesย served only at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Theseย spuds have a lot to offer all year round.

  • Bake a sweet potato just as you would a whiteย potato and serve alongside your favorite proteinย dish (beef, chicken, fish, pork, or lamb).
  • If you’re hooked on regular mashed potatoes, tryย using half regular potatoes and half sweets.
  • For a Magic food trifecta, top mashed sweet potatoesย with trans fatโ€“free margarine, then seasonย with cinnamon and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
  • Grill sweet potato slices to serve with pork loinย chops.
  • Place sweet potato slices on top of your next casserole.ย Cover with foil to keep them moist and bake asย usual.
  • Add sweet potato cubes to soups and stews 30 toย 45 minutes before the dish is done.
  • Cube cooked sweet potatoes and use in stir-fries.
  • Make roasted sweet potatoes seasoned withย thyme for a savory side dish. Combine olive oil,ย minced garlic, thyme, salt, and coarsely groundย black pepper in a bowl. Arrange peeled, slicedย sweet potatoes in a single layer on a bakingย sheet and brush with the mixture. Bake at 425ยบF (220ยบC) untilย tender and slightly brown.

Perfect Portion: 1 medium
A medium sweet potato (5 ounces/140 g) is bigย enough to satisfy your appetite without tippingย the blood sugar scales.

Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest