The efficacy, function and nutritional value of sweet potato porridge

Sweet potato porridge has the effects of promoting body fluid and quenching thirst, detoxifying alcohol, and lowering blood pressure. It is suitable for chronic alcohol poisoning, cold and fever, headache and thirst, facial flushing, dry stool, diarrhea, heatstroke and thirst, hypertension, dizziness and red eyes, etc.

Nutritional value of sweet potato porridge

Sweet potato porridge has a great health-care effect, especially for the health of the elderly. Since sweet potatoes are alkaline foods, they are beneficial to maintaining the acid-base balance of the blood. Sweet potatoes contain a large amount of mucus protein, mucus polysaccharide, etc., which can maintain the elasticity of the human cardiovascular wall, prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis, and maintain the lubrication of the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and joint cavity. In addition, the cellulose contained in the starch of sweet potatoes can absorb a large amount of water in the intestine, which is beneficial to prevent and treat constipation and reduce the occurrence of colon cancer.

The high content of dietary fiber in sweet potatoes can promote gastrointestinal motility, prevent constipation and colorectal cancer. Sweet potatoes are good for the heart. Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium, carotene, folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin B6, all of which help prevent cardiovascular diseases. Potassium helps balance the 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 reduce the level of homocysteine ​​in the blood, which can damage arteries and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Sweet potatoes also contain a substance similar to estrogen, which has a certain effect on protecting human skin and delaying aging. Therefore, many women abroad regard sweet potato porridge as a beauty food.

The efficacy and function of sweet potato porridge

1. Sweet potatoes stimulate appetite and help digestion, and have weight loss and anti-cancer effects

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that sweet potatoes enter the spleen and kidney meridians, which can nourish the spleen and stomach, stimulate appetite and digestion, and nourish the kidney yin, making people strong and healthy. As Li Shizhen said in "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Sweet potatoes can replenish deficiency, increase energy, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and strengthen kidney yin."

Modern medicine believes that sweet potatoes are rich in protein, starch, pectin, amino acids, dietary fiber, carotene, vitamins A, B, C, E, and more than 10 trace elements such as calcium, potassium, and iron. In addition to having weight loss and anti-cancer effects, sweet potatoes can also effectively prevent calcium loss. In addition, sweet potatoes contain a large amount of dietary fiber, which can effectively stimulate intestinal peristalsis and the secretion of digestive juices, reducing the incidence of intestinal diseases.

2. There are some rules for eating sweet potatoes: steaming them and eating them at noon is the best

Sweet potatoes can be eaten in many ways. They can be boiled, steamed, baked, or eaten raw. They can also be processed into flour and made into steamed buns or noodles. The Medical Collection says that eating sweet potatoes raw can "quench thirst, sober up, benefit the lungs, and calm the mind", while eating them cooked can "benefit the qi and satisfy hunger". However, the most common way to eat them is to boil them.

If you want to lose weight, it is best not to eat French fries, candied sweet potatoes, etc., because the sweet potatoes cooked in this way contain a lot of fat and sugar, and their nutritional structure is much worse than before, which is not conducive to weight loss.

Sweet potatoes are best eaten during lunch, the golden time. This is because after we eat sweet potatoes, the calcium contained in them needs 4 to 5 hours to be absorbed by the human body, and the afternoon sunlight can promote calcium absorption. In this case, if you eat sweet potatoes at lunch, the calcium can be completely absorbed before dinner, and it will not affect the absorption of calcium in other foods at dinner.

3. Choose sweet potatoes with red skin. Eating them can cure constipation in the elderly.

The sweet potatoes you choose should not be too long or too round, and the skin should be red enough, so that they are rich in nutrition. It is best not to eat moldy or sprouted sweet potatoes. Although sweet potatoes are delicious and sweet, they should not be eaten too much. Eating too much sweet potatoes will cause stagnation of gas, heartburn, vomiting acid, bloating and flatulence, so it is better to eat them in moderation.

Elderly people with weak spleen and stomach should also drink more sweet potato porridge, because it is easy to digest, protects the gastrointestinal tract, and promotes gastrointestinal motility, making defecation easier and helping elderly friends get rid of the trouble of constipation.

Medicinal value of sweet potato porridge

1. Sweet potatoes have anti-cancer effects

The most anti-cancer nutrients 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 daily amount of vitamin A required by the human body, one-third of the daily amount of vitamin C required, and about 50 micrograms of folic acid; the dietary fiber content is higher than a bowl of oatmeal porridge.

The antioxidant effects of carotene and vitamin C help resist the damage of oxidative stress to the genetic material deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and play 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, 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 lower the level of homocysteine ​​in the blood, which can damage arteries and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Side effects and contraindications of sweet potato porridge

Sweet potato: Sweet potato should not be eaten with persimmons, tomatoes, white wine, crabs, and bananas.

Japonica rice: Japonica rice should not be eaten with horse meat or honey; it should not be eaten with Xanthium sibiricum, otherwise it will cause heartache.

How to make delicious sweet potato porridge

Method 1:

Ingredients: 150g rice;

practice:

1. Peel and clean the sweet potatoes, cut into small cubes

2. Wash the rice, put it into a pot, add water and cook until half cooked, add diced sweet potato, and cook over low heat until the rice and sweet potato are cooked.

Features: Clears away heat and promotes salivation, suitable for the young and the old or those with stomach heat.

Method 2:

Ingredients: rice, a small amount of glutinous rice, sweet potato, water

practice:

1. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into pieces, wash and soak the rice in water for 1 hour;

2. Put rice and water in a deep pot and boil over high heat;

3. Reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes, then add sweet potato cubes and cook until the porridge is thick.

Method 3:

Ingredients: red dates, sweet potatoes, white beans, rice

practice:

1. Soak red dates and white beans in hot water first.

2. Wash the rice and soak it for about half an hour.

3. After the porridge boils, pour in the red dates and white beans. After cooking for a while, add the sweet potatoes. Stir in the same direction with a small spoon while cooking. When the porridge becomes viscous, add a little rock sugar.

Method 4:

Ingredients: sweet potatoes, rice

Put these two ingredients into a casserole and add water. First, boil the water over high heat, then turn to low heat and simmer. Stir with a spoon from time to time to prevent the bottom from getting sticky.

Method 5:

Ingredients: sweet potatoes, rapeseed leaves, rice

practice:

1. Wash the rice and add appropriate amount of water to cook into porridge; wash and peel the sweet potato, cut into thin slices, put into the pot with appropriate amount of water and boil, then turn to low heat and cook until it is soft, take out and grind into paste.

2. Blanch the tips of rapeseed leaves until soft, filter out the juice, chop and set aside.

3. Mix the sweet potato puree and porridge evenly.

4. Sprinkle the chopped rapeseed on the sweet potato porridge.