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Health Secrets of the Sweet Potato & Recipe

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Sweet Potato is a powerhouse of nutrition. This vibrant orange tuber is rich in vitamins, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and blood sugar-regulating nutrients.
 
The antioxidant Beta-carotene, which gives Sweet Potato its orange flesh, is necessary for your body to produce Vitamin A. We need vitamin A for eye health, for a strong immune system, and for healthy skin. One medium Sweet Potato provides 100% of your daily needs for Vitamin A, as well as a healthy dose of vitamin C, several of the B vitamins, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin E. If your body needs a boost in some or all of these nutrients, consider taking a supplement.
 Sweet Potatoes
Some research has shown that, as antioxidants from Sweet Potato (called cyanidins and peonidins) and other phytonutrients pass through the digestive tract, they act in ways that may lower the health risk posed by heavy metals. Scientists are also studying the anti-inflammatory nutrients (anthocyanin) contained in purple Sweet Potatoes, which may provide protection against certain types of cancer.
 
Sweet Potatoes also have a fascinating ability to potentially improve blood sugar regulation. Researchers are interested in determining what effect this may have on Type-2 Diabetes. High in fiber, including Sweet Potato in your diet can promote regularity of the bowels and healthy digestive function. 
 
You can enjoy Sweet Potato as a main course, side dish, in soups, or in desserts. When shopping for these versatile veggies, remember that Yams are not the same as Sweet Potatoes. The two are not in the same “food family” and each has a different nutrient profile. Yams are usually imported from Africa or Asia, whereas the Sweet Potato is grown abundantly in the U.S. Finally, Sweet Potato color, both flesh and skin, can range from white to yellow-orange to brown or purple. There also are “firm” or “soft” varieties, which can make a difference in your cooking.
 

 

Good Old Fashioned Baked Sweet Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potato
Ingredients:
  • 4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks (preferably organic)
  • Coconut oil for brushing 
  • Sea salt to taste 
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste 
  • Ghee to taste 
Preparation Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. 
  2. Brush potatoes with coconut oil and place potatoes in a glass cooking dish with lid. 
  3. Cover and cook in hot oven for 40 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. 
  4. Remove from oven and serve hot. 
  5. Season with salt, pepper and ghee to taste.
 
Sweet Potatoes are a perfect food; they make for a tasty snack, or accompaniment to a hearty soup or salad at lunchtime. 
 

 

What’s your favorite sweet potato recipe? Share in the comments below!

 
 
 
References
  • Difference Between Sweet Potato and Yam https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB0QFjAAahUKEwjA_7SZ27_IAhWJaz4KHYosAgI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncsweetpotatoes.com%2Fsweet-potatoes-101%2Fdifference-between-yam-and-sweet-potato%2F&usg=AFQjCNHqHitz3Brt25Koa_lc7QjlL7bTkQ&bvm=bv.104819420,d.cWw
  • Library of Congress Everyday Mysteries: Sweet Potato or Yam? https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/sweetpotato.html
  • Mohanraj, R and Sivasankar.S “Sweet Potato: A Valuable Medicinal Food”. Journal of Medicinal Food. July 2014, 17(7): 733-741. doi:10.1089/jmf.2013.2818. http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.2013.2818
  • Shekhar, S., et al. “Comparative analysis of phytochemicals and nutrient availability in two contrasting cultivars of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.)” Food Chem. (2015) Apr 15;173:957-65. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.09.172. Epub 2014 Oct 30. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814614017014
  • USDA Nutrient info for Sweet Potato (raw and various cooking methods) http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&count=&max=25&sort=&qlookup=sweet+potato&offset=&format=Abridged&new=&measureby=
  • Varieties of Sweet Potato http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodtip&dbid=41
  • World’s Healthiest Foods: Sweet Potato http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64
  • Xu,J. et al. “Characterisation and stability of anthocyanins in purple-fleshed sweet potato P40.” Food Chem. (2015) Nov 1;186:90-6. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.08.123. Epub 2014 Sep 16. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030881461401348X 
Photo Credit
  • tashka2000/bigstockphoto.com
  • MykhailoLukashuk/bigstockphoto.com

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Alexandria Z., M.S.

Christine is my wellness goddess. Her amazing support, extraordinary expertise, and undeniable compassion invited me to a world of freedom from digestive discomfort that I didn’t know was possible. The whirlwind of bloating, constipation, brain fog, and digestive upheaval was consuming my life. Exhaustion and frustration were becoming my very existence. And then I met my health goddess! Christine’s astute listening and meticulously tailored guidance, transformed my thinking and whirlwind of digestive discomfort. She helped me achieve a state of equilibrium. The balance I now experience is the center of my wellness existence—the core of my life with digestive happiness.

 

Christine instilled in me the power to embrace the grace and strength of my very own body! She has taught me to internalize the boundless evidence of my body’s functionality to heal digestively. While working with Christine, my exhaustion, pain, and bloating were overshadowed with energy, digestive comfort, glowing skin, and knowledge. Her coaching raised my awareness of food sensitivities, and promoted better food choices, which led to better sleep, a stronger link to overall wellness, clarity in my thinking, and ultimately, more joy in my life.  Christine’s remarkable spirit of wellness will forever echo in my digestive wellness journey. I bestow upon Christine the well-deserved exceptional title, “my wellness goddess.”
2015-07-27T17:47:59-04:00
Christine is my wellness goddess. Her amazing support, extraordinary expertise, and undeniable compassion invited me to a world of freedom from digestive discomfort that I didn’t know was possible. The whirlwind of bloating, constipation, brain fog, and digestive upheaval was consuming my life. Exhaustion and frustration were becoming my very existence. And then I met my health goddess! Christine’s astute listening and meticulously tailored guidance, transformed my thinking and whirlwind of digestive discomfort. She helped me achieve a state of equilibrium. The balance I now experience is the center of my wellness existence—the core of my life with digestive happiness.   Christine instilled in me the power to embrace the grace and strength of my very own body! She has taught me to internalize the boundless evidence of my body’s functionality to heal digestively. While working with Christine, my exhaustion, pain, and bloating were overshadowed with energy, digestive comfort, glowing skin, and knowledge. Her coaching raised my awareness of food sensitivities, and promoted better food choices, which led to better sleep, a stronger link to overall wellness, clarity in my thinking, and ultimately, more joy in my life.  Christine’s remarkable spirit of wellness will forever echo in my digestive wellness journey. I bestow upon Christine the well-deserved exceptional title, “my wellness goddess.”