6 Health Benefits of Sweet Potato

Sweet potato is a delicious, starchy root vegetable, and popularly grown around the world. It comes in different sizes and colors such as white, red, purple, orange, yellow, and pink. Sweet potato is high in antioxidants, vitamins, carotenoids, fiber, and minerals; it is a delicious edible root food and has become a part of the diet in the world.

Sweet potato is not just delicious food; it contains essential nutrients needed by the body and is highly medicinal. Research has found that sweet potato contains anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic properties. This edible underground tuber can be enjoyed in different and healthy ways such as;

• Boiled sweet potato
• Diced into different shapes and fried
• Grilled potato, sprinkled with herbs and sauce
• Roasted sweet potato
• Toasted sweet potato
• Mashed or puree sweet potato
• Baked with skin or sweet potato salad.

There are different ways of making this food and has other forms of application apart from consumption. Aside from eating it, potato slices, puree, and cooking wastewater as natural and do it yourself topical skincare treatment. Sweet potato contains a balanced diet that can improve your overall health, maintain healthy and glowing skin when incorporated into your diet.

How Nutritious is Sweet Potato?

Sweet potato is a highly nutritious food that contains the recommended daily amount of vitamins, essential minerals, and antioxidants. It is a healthy food choice for everyone including people living with diabetes because of the low glycemic index. It is an excellent source of fiber and antioxidants that protect your body from reactions known as oxidation (free radicals). Free radicals have been associated with non-communicable diseases and chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and aging effect. The unstable molecules can stimulate inflammation and damage DNA. These are the amazing benefits of sweet potato when included in your diet.

Promote Healthy Gut

High fiber and vitamins in sweet potato encourage the growth of healthy microflora in your gut. The fibers in sweet potato are insoluble and insoluble in form, which your body finds hard to digest. After consumption, the fibers remain in your digestive tracts; the soluble fibers absorb water and soften your stool, while the insoluble fibers are fermented by bacteria present in your colon. The fermented insoluble fibers go through a process that aids the cell of the intestinal lining making them strong and healthy.

Slows down Aging

High Vitamin C and E content are known to slow down aging and make the skin soft, and smooth. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that prevents oxidation, stimulates collagen, and moisturizes the skin. Wastewater of sweet potato, mash potato when applied regularly on the skin as a toner, and mask reveal younger-looking skin.

Prevent Vision Loss

Sweet potato is high in vitamin C, and beta-carotene a color pigment found in some fruit and vegetables like orange, carrot, and tomatoes. These antioxidants play important role in connective tissue development and promote wound healing. It also contains other vitamins and mineral-like vitamin B6, potassium, and anthocyanins.

 The Beta carotene in sweet potato is converted to a form of vitamin A in the body, which prevents vision loss and improves your eye health.

Regulate Stress Levels

Sweet potato contains an adequate amount of magnesium that allows normal body function. As an essential mineral, magnesium helps reduce anxiety and stress. Also, it helps refill the body’s magnesium level and reduce the symptoms of depression.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Sweet potato is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and anti-inflammatory properties that prevent free radicals that can speed up aging or inflammation. Research on purple sweet potatoes shows that extracts from the sweet potato variant were capable of preventing the production of active inflammatory components in the body. Also, choline and anthocyanins in starchy vegetables make them an essential dietary source in preventing and reducing chronic inflammation in the body.

Aid Immune System

Regular consumption of sweet potato supports the immune system; the orange-colored sweet potato contains the highest source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body an important vitamin for the immune system. After conversion, vitamin A helps maintain a healthy mucous membrane, including the gut wall. Vitamin A deficiency causes inflammation within the gut, which limits your immune system's ability to fight against harm. 

Consuming one baked potato with the skin offers five times the recommended amount of nutrients required for the day.

Sweet potato is a super delicious vegetable found in different colors, and rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. It is affordable food that you can prepare in different ways.

By Gift Chinecherem Ujuaku