Sweet Potato: Ingredients Nutrition and Health Benefits

Sweet potato is a kind of root. Tubers grow from the roots of plants, called science Ipomoea batatas .

It has a high content of an antioxidant called beta-carotene, which helps to increase the amount of vitamin A in the blood very effectively, especially in children .

Nutritious sweet potatoes, rich in fiber, quickly saturated and have a very sweet taste.

We can make sweet potatoes in many ways, but the four most common ways are to boil, bake, steam and fry.

Sweet potatoes often look like this:

Sweet potatoes are usually orange, but they also have some other colors such as white, red, pink, dark purple, yellow and purple.

In some parts of the United States and Canada, sweet potatoes are called sweet potatoes . This way of calling is not true because potato is a completely different plant from sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes only have distant relatives with regular potatoes.

Nutritional ingredients

A raw sweet potato contains water (77%), carbohydrate (20.1%), the protein (1.6%), fiber (3%) and almost no fat.

The table below contains information about nutrients in sweet potatoes .

	Amount
Calories	eighty six
Country	77%
The protein	1.6 g
Carb	20.1 g
Street	4.2 g
Fiber	3 g
Fat	0.1 g
Saturated fat	0.02 g
Monounsaturated fat	0 g
Inability to produce cholesterol	0.01 g
Omega-3	0 g
Omega-6	0.01 g
Trans fat	~

Carb in sweet potatoes

A medium size (boiled, without shell) tuber contains 27 grams carb .

In it, the main ingredient consists of conjugated carbons called starch, accounting for 53% of carb content.

Simple sugars, such as glucose, fructose , sucrose and maltose account for 32% of carb content .

A glycemic index is a measure of the speed of blood sugar after a meal.

Sweet potatoes have a blood sugar index ranging from moderate to high, varying from 44-96 .

Because sweet potatoes have a high blood sugar index, a sweet potato meal is not suitable for people with diabetes.

Boiled sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index value than baked or fried potatoes .

Starch

Starch is usually divided into 3 different types based on their characteristics during digestion .

The ratio in sweet potato starch is as follows.

• Starch quickly digested (80%) , this type is broken and absorbed quickly, increasing the value of blood sugar index.
• Slow digestible starch (9%) This type breaks down more slowly and makes blood sugar levels rise less .
• Resistant pepper starch (12%), This type is not digested and acts as a fiber, a food that benefits the intestinal flora. This amount of resistant pepper may increase slightly by letting sweet potatoes cool after cooking .

Fiber

Ripe sweet potatoes are high in fiber, a medium sweet potato contains 3.8 grams.

There are two types of fiber. Fiber soluble in water (15-23%) in the form of pectin, and water-insoluble fiber (77-85%) in this form of hemicellulose cellulose, and lignin .

Water-soluble fiber, such as pectin, can increase satiety, reduce the amount of food absorbed and reduce the sudden rise in blood sugar by slowing down the digestion of sugar and starch .

Water-insoluble fiber is beneficial for health, such as reducing the risk of diabetes and improve intestinal health .

Summary: Sweet potatoes are mostly made from carb. Most carbs are made up of starch, but sweet potatoes also contain fiber.

Protein in sweet potatoes

A medium-sized sweet potato contains 2 grams of protein, which is relatively low.

Sweet potatoes contain a specific protein called sporamin, which accounts for more than 80% of total protein .

Sporamines are produced in potatoes whenever the plant is damaged to heal wounds.

Recent research suggests that these proteins may have antioxidant properties .

Despite the relatively low protein content, sweet potatoes are an important source of protein in many developing countries .

Summary: Sweet potatoes have relatively low protein content, but are still an important protein source in many developing countries.

Vitamins and minerals

Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals, and provide a large amount of beta-carotene, vitamin C and potassium.

Here are the most abundant vitamins and minerals in sweet potatoes.

• Vitamin A: Sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, which will be converted into vitamin A in the body. With only 100 grams of sweet potatoes, we will get the recommended amount of vitamin A every day.
• Vitamin C: As an antioxidant, it helps to reduce the normal time of flu and improve skin health .
• Potassium: Potassium is important in controlling blood pressure, it can reduce the risk of heart disease .
• Mangan: This is a trace mineral important for growth, development and metabolism .
• Vitamin B6: Play an important role in the conversion of food into energy.
• Vitamin B5: Also known as pantothenic acid, we can find this vitamin in most foods.
• Vitamin E: A powerful fat-soluble antioxidant that protects the body against oxidative damage .

Summary: Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), excellent vitamin C and potassium. They are also a source of many other vitamins and minerals.

Other plant compounds

Like other pure plant foods, sweet potatoes contain a number of plant compounds that can affect our health.

The antioxidant activity of sweet potatoes increases when the color of the potatoes is darker.

The frequency of this activity is highest in colored potatoes, such as purple, dark orange or red .

• Beta-carotene: An antioxidant carotenoid is converted into vitamin A in the body. To better absorb beta-carotene, add fat to your diet.
• Chlorogenic acid: The most abundant polyphenol antioxidant in sweet potatoes .
• Anthocyanin: Purple sweet potatoes are rich in anthocyanin, which possesses strong antioxidant properties .
• Coumarin: Sweet potatoes contain small amounts of esculetin, umbelliferon and scopoletin, which can prevent blood clots and help prevent the replication of HIV viruses studied in animals and cells .

The ability to absorb vitamin C and some antioxidants increase when eating sweet potatoes, while other plant compounds can be slightly reduced .

Summary: Sweet potatoes contain high levels of plant compounds, such as beta-carotene, chlorogenic acid, anthocyanin and coumarin.

Sweet potatoes versus potatoes

Many people choose to eat sweet potatoes instead of potatoes, and believe sweet potatoes are a healthier option.

Let's compare them.

Two types (boiled, peeled) contain the same amount of water, carbohydrate, fat and protein .

Sweet potatoes have higher levels of sugar and fiber, and sometimes have lower blood sugar.

Probably because sweet potatoes contain complex starch and fiber soluble in water, leading to slow sugar absorption.

Both provide good vitamin C and potassium, but sweet potatoes also provide a large amount of vitamin A.

Potatoes may contain more satisfying, but they also contain glycoalkaloid, which, when absorbed in large quantities, is harmful to health .

In short, sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index, a better source of fiber, and provide more or less vitamins and minerals (especially vitamin A) than potatoes.

Based on the above summary, sweet potatoes are a healthier choice.

Summary: Based on this comparison, sweet potatoes are healthier than potatoes. They have a lower blood sugar index, are high in fiber, contain excellent vitamin A content and do not contain any toxins.

Health benefits of sweet potatoes

Eating sweet potatoes helps us have good health and nutrition .

Sweet potatoes are mainly studied in aspects related to vitamin A deficiency, blood sugar regulation and antioxidant activity.

Preventing the lack of vitamin A

Vitamin A plays an important role in our bodies, and vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in many developing countries .

Vitamin A deficiency can cause temporary or permanent eye damage, even blindness. It can also inhibit immune function and increase mortality, especially in children and pregnant and lactating women .

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta-carotene, with beta-carotene being converted into vitamin A in our bodies.

The deeper the color of sweet potatoes and orange sweet potatoes, the higher the beta-carotene content .

Sweet orange sweet potatoes have been shown to increase blood vitamin A levels better than other beta-carotene sources, because they contain "metabolized" beta-carotene, which is highly bioavailable. .

This makes the consumption of sweet potatoes a great strategy against vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.

Summary: Sweet orange orange is a good source of beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. They may be valuable in the fight against vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.

Improve the ability to regulate blood sugar

Blood sugar imbalance and insulin secretion are characteristics of diabetes.

A type of white and fleshed sweet potatoes (Caiapo), has been suggested to improve diabetes symptoms in people with type 2 diabetes.

Caiapo sweet potatoes can reduce fasting blood sugar and LDL cholesterol levels, as well as increase insulin sensitivity .

However, the current data are not sufficient to prove the effectiveness of sweet potatoes in the treatment of type 2 diabetes .

More research is needed to confirm.

Summary: A type of sweet potato (Caiapo) can help improve blood sugar regulation in people with type 2 diabetes.

Reduces the risk of oxidative stress and cancer

Cell oxidative stress is often associated with an increased risk of cancer, which is an adverse condition as cells grow far beyond their normal cell wall boundaries and encroach on other tissues.

High-antioxidant diets, such as carotenoids, reduce the risk of stomach, kidney, and breast cancer patients .

Many studies have shown that sweet potatoes contain powerful antioxidants that reduce free radicals and harmful substances that may increase the risk of cancer. Purple sweet potatoes have the highest levels of antioxidant activity .

The antioxidant activity of purple sweet potato is 3 times higher than that of sweet potato blueberry At the same amount, though blueberries are considered to have extremely high levels of antioxidants .

Summary: Sweet potatoes, especially purple, contain high levels of antioxidants. They can reduce oxidative stress and reduce the risk of many types of cancer.

Adverse effects and individual concerns

Sweet potatoes are easily tolerated by most people.

However, they are considered to have high levels of calcium oxalate, which can cause problems for people who are prone to kidney stones .

Summary: Sweet potatoes are often used by many people, but they contain calcium oxalate which can increase the risk of kidney stones.

Summary

Sweet potatoes are root crops that are usually orange, although there are other color variations (such as purple).

They are excellent sources of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), as well as many other vitamins, minerals and plant compounds.

Sweet potatoes can have many health benefits, such as improving their ability to regulate blood sugar, improving vitamin A status and reducing the risk of many types of cancer.

In short, sweet potatoes are nutritious, delicious and easy to coordinate in nutrition.