This week, it’s Sweet Potato Health Benefits from Kat’s Kitchen. The sweet potato is not a member of the potato family but rather a member of the morning glory family – who knew!?
There are nearly 400 sweet potato varieties. Their flesh may be white, yellow or orange with their skin either white, yellow, red, orange or purple. When cooked, sweet potatoes are either firm and dry or have a softer texture and moist.
Sweet potatoes are a particular favourite in Asian and South American cooking. And the darker the variety the higher concentration of carotenes – read below for why this is important. They are also relatively high in fibre and low in sugar.
Below are some reasons to include sweet potatoes in your diet:
Sweet Potato Health Benefits
- Their high content of Vitamin C, carotenes and a unique root storage protein boost antioxidants in the body
- Sweet potatoes are classified as ‘anti-diabetic food’. This means they stabilise blood sugar levels and improve the response to the hormone insulin.