Sweet Potato Health Benefits, Properties, and Uses

Sweet potatoes are a vegetable with an orange, yellow, white or sometimes purple flesh. They have a smooth, edible skin and offer high nutrition levels. Sweet potatoes are often confused for yams, but they are different species of plants. Sweet potatoes likely originated in South and Central America.

Sweet Potato Health Uses and Health Benefits

Sweet potatoes offer many health benefits due to their nutritional content. As a significant source of fiber and several vitamins and minerals, sweet potatoes are known for several health benefits from reducing chronic disease to optimizing overall health.¹

Sweet potatoes offer a high level of vitamin A at over 400% of the daily recommended intake in one serving. High vitamin A intake is important for several reasons, including enhancing the body’s ability to fight off diseases and infections. Vitamin A is required for healthy eyesight, and getting enough vitamin A such as from sweet potatoes can prevent degenerative vision loss.¹

Sweet potatoes are also useful in managing diabetes. As a low glycemic food that naturally stabilizes blood sugar, eating sweet potatoes can help manage and prevent diabetes. Additionally, the high fiber content found in sweet potatoes is critical to promoting healthy weight loss. Fiber helps the body eliminate fats and substances that cause weight gain and also helps improve the sense of feeling full.^1,2

Sweet potatoes also contain phytonutrients that can reduce inflammation throughout the body, including in the brain. This also makes sweet potatoes a brain food for helping improve memory and cognitive function.^1,2

References

1. https://draxe.com/sweet-potato-nutrition-facts-benefits/
2. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64