Dr. Jacome’s Healthy Eating Tips: The Sweet Potato Is Sweet On Nutrition - Fleur Women's Health (2024)

FAQs

What does Dr. Gundry say about eating sweet potatoes? ›

Enjoying sweet potatoes one to three times a week is the nutritional "sweet spot". “Like any starch, you can overdo the amount you eat,” Dr. Gundry says. “I personally enjoy them as a weekend treat.”

Just one sweet potato gives you 102% of the vitamin A you need each day. This helps keep your eyes healthy as well as your immune system, your body's defense against germs. It's also good for your reproductive system and organs like your heart and kidneys.

Therefore, from a nutritional standpoint, boiling rather than baking should be recommended for cooking sweet potato. Boiling may theoretically be best, but sweet potatoes are so incredibly healthy that the actual best way to prepare them is whichever way will get you to eat the most of them!

Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene, and their excessive consumption can lead to hypervitaminosis A (vitamin A toxicity), in which excess vitamin A accumulates in the liver. Although it is not considered harmful, the color of the skin and nails may turn orange.

Gastrointestinal Health

Along with anti-inflammatory properties, sweet potatoes have plenty of gut-friendly fiber, especially if you eat the skin. They are a mixture of soluble fiber, which can lower cholesterol and balance glucose, and insoluble fiber, which helps keep your bowels healthy and regular.

But sweet potatoes can help. They contain phytoestrogens, natural plant compounds that act as estrogen in the body. “Phytoestrogens, like those found in sweet potatoes, have been shown to reduce menopause symptoms such as vagin*l dryness and hot flashes,” Poon notes.

Sweet potatoes contain potassium. A high potassium intake may not be suitable for people who take beta-blockers. Doctors commonly prescribe these for heart disease, and they can cause potassium levels to rise in the blood. People with kidney problems should also take note of how much potassium they consume.

If you enjoy sweet potatoes, you can absolutely enjoy them daily. However, eating multiple sweet potatoes every day could cause a harmless condition called carotenodermia, where your skin turns yellow-orange. You may also want to be cautious about your sweet potato intake if you have a history of kidney stones.

Conclusion. The humble sweet potato's antioxidant, vitamin, and mineral values make it a top contender as a “superfood”. Getting some in your diet could give your health a boost!

Should you eat the skin of sweet potatoes? ›

You can eat sweet potato skin. It's a good source of fiber, a nutrient that may help lower the risk of heart disease and keep you feeling full for longer periods of time. The next time you make a sweet potato dish, whether it's a roasted side dish or a hearty, cozy casserole, leave the peel on.

Sweet potatoes are a healthy root vegetable chock full of antioxidants that protect your cells from damage. Plus, the nutrients in sweet potatoes are excellent for your gut, eyes, immune system, and more. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and zinc.

~ Eating sweet potatoes for breakfast or lunch can provide you with sustained energy throughout the day. They can also be a great post-workout meal due to their balance of complex carbs and nutrients.

Think of sweet potatoes like a natural (and delicious) sleep supplement. “They have the right balance of nutrients like potassium and vitamin B6 to stimulate the production of the sleep hormones serotonin and melatonin,” says Scharman Draughon.

The good news is, boiling lectin-containing foods deactivates the lectins, thereby removing the anti-nutrient property from them. The kicker is, they must be properly boiled or cooked, lest some of the lectins remain.

Obtained results also suggested the purple-fleshed variety (414-purple) had significantly (p < 0.05) higher total polyphenol content and thus the highest antioxidant activity. Heat treatment positively influenced the chlorogenic acid content, total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity of sweet potatoes.

A boiled potato has a high GI around 78, while a boiled sweet potato has an intermediate GI of 63. This means that potatoes break down more quickly into sugar in your digestive tract, causing your blood sugar to spike.

A beneficial SFA is butyrate, formed when gut bacteria break down specific fibrous foods including beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, and oats. Purchasing Tips: Most probiotic foods can be found in the refrigerated section.