Nutritional value and health benefits of sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoesSweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes can be eaten whole or boiled in sugar water, which has a laxative effect. They can also be eaten as a staple food occasionally.

Nutritional value of sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes, also known as sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams, contain a variety of nutrients needed by the human body. Every 500 grams of sweet potatoes can produce about 635 kcal of heat energy, containing 11.5 grams of protein, 14.5 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fat, 100 mg of phosphorus, 90 mg of calcium, 2 grams of iron, 0.5 mg of carotene, and vitamins B1, B2, C, niacin, and linoleic acid. The content of vitamin B1 and B2 is 6 times and 3 times higher than that of rice, respectively. In particular, sweet potatoes are rich in lysine, while rice and flour lack lysine. But many people have not yet realized it. Will eating sweet potatoes make people fat? According to scientific research, eating sweet potatoes will not make people fat. On the contrary, sweet potatoes are an ideal weight loss food. Its calorie content is very low, much lower than that of ordinary rice, so you don’t have to worry about getting fat after eating it. Instead, it can play a role in weight loss. Sweet potatoes also contain a substance similar to estrogen, which has a certain effect on protecting human skin and delaying aging.

Therefore, many foreign women regard sweet potatoes as a beauty food. Sweet potatoes are crispy and sweet when eaten raw, and can replace fruits; they are sweet and soft when cooked, and they are sweet in the mouth and in the heart. It can be used as a staple food or a vegetable. It can be steamed, boiled, fried, and deep-fried. There are many ways to eat it. Once it is cooked skillfully, it can also become a delicacy on the table.

Health benefits of sweet potatoes:

1. Sweet potatoes have anti-cancer effects

The nutrients with the most anti-cancer effects in the diet are carotene (a precursor of vitamin A), vitamin C and folic acid, and sweet potatoes are rich in all three. A small sweet potato (about 2 taels) can provide twice the amount of vitamin A needed by the human body every day, one-third of the amount of vitamin C needed every day, and about 50 micrograms of folic acid; the dietary fiber content is higher than a bowl of oatmeal porridge. [Food China]

The antioxidant effect of carotene and vitamin C helps to resist the damage of oxidative stress to the genetic material deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and plays a certain anti-cancer role.

Eating sweet potatoes regularly helps maintain normal folate levels in the body. Low levels of folate in the body increase the risk of cancer. The high content of dietary fiber in sweet potatoes can promote gastrointestinal motility, prevent constipation and colorectal cancer.

2. Sweet potatoes are good for your heart

Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium, tail-carotene, folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin B6, all of which help prevent cardiovascular disease. Potassium helps balance fluid and electrolytes in human cells and maintain normal blood pressure and heart function.

Carotene and vitamin C have the effects of resisting lipid oxidation and preventing atherosclerosis. Supplementing folic acid and vitamin B6 helps to reduce the level of homocysteine in the blood, which can damage arteries and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

3. Sweet potatoes prevent emphysema

An animal experiment at the University of Kansas in the United States found that rats that smoked had lower levels of vitamin A in their bodies and were more likely to develop emphysema; while rats that smoked and ate foods rich in vitamin A had a significantly lower incidence of emphysema. The reason why some long-term smokers live to be over 90 years old without developing emphysema may be related to the rich vitamin A content in their daily diet. Researchers recommend that smokers or passive smokers eat some foods rich in vitamin A, such as sweet potatoes, every day to prevent emphysema.

4. Sweet potatoes have anti-diabetic effects

Japanese researchers found that the insulin levels in the blood of diabetic obese rats decreased by 26% and 60% after eating white-skinned sweet potatoes for 4 weeks and 6 weeks respectively; they also found that sweet potatoes can effectively inhibit the increase in blood sugar levels in diabetic obese rats after oral administration of glucose; eating sweet potatoes can also reduce the levels of triglycerides and free fatty acids in diabetic rats.

Studies have shown that white-skinned sweet potatoes have a certain anti-diabetic effect. A clinical study at the University of Vienna in Austria found that after taking white-skinned sweet potato extract, patients with type 2 diabetes had improved insulin sensitivity, which helped control blood sugar.

Sweet potatoes have been regarded by nutritionists as a balanced food and medicine. They have only one-third of the calories of rice of the same weight and contain almost no fat and cholesterol. Eating sweet potatoes regularly is good for human health and has a certain weight loss effect. However, don't eat too much sweet potatoes at one time to avoid abdominal discomfort symptoms such as heartburn, acid reflux or bloating.

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