7 Reasons To Include Sweet Potatoes In Your Diet
Americans often eat sweet potatoes on holidays and special occasions, but they don’t eat them very often the rest of the year.
These root vegetables are inexpensive, readily accessible, and simple to grow.
They also offer health benefits that will encourage you to include them often in your diet.
Sweet potatoes are a nutritious food that is good for you.
Sweet potatoes have the following health benefits:
1. Maintain Body Weight
Sweet potatoes, which are high in fiber and water, can keep you full for several hours while reducing your cravings for unhealthy foods.
According to some research, purple sweet potatoes may even be useful in weight-loss plans.
However, the assertion has to be supported by additional studies. However, including sweet potatoes in your diet is always worth a shot as long as they’re healthy.
2. Maintain Heart Health
Sweet potatoes include vitamin B6, a nutrient that is healthy for the heart, along with other minerals.
The reduction of blood homocysteine levels is facilitated by vitamin B6.
High levels of the amino acid homocysteine are linked to a greater chance of heart problems.
Vitamin B6 is present in sweet potatoes at 0.278 milligrams per cup.
3. Attack Cancer Cells
Antioxidants that are plentiful in sweet potatoes help in the fight against unstable free radicals, which can harm cells and increase the chance of getting cancer.
Consequently, sweet potatoes could be able to stop the growth of cancerous cells within the body.
According to studies, sweet potato proteins may also benefit the treatment of colorectal cancer.
4. Stabilize Blood Sugar
You may be curious as to how “sweet” potatoes may control blood sugar levels.
Despite their sweetness, sweet potatoes have a low to medium glycemic index.
Foods are given a glycemic index value to indicate how rapidly or slowly they raise blood sugar levels.
A low glycemic index prevents a sharp rise in blood sugar levels.
According to the findings of research involving those individuals, white sweet potatoes were successful in lowering diabetes patients’ blood sugar levels.
5. Improve Mental Functions
This nutrient-and antioxidant-rich vegetable may enhance cognitive processes.
Although there isn’t a lot of proof for it, scientists think that sweet potatoes could enhance memory and cognitive abilities.
The purple variety’s anthocyanins may aid with memory improvement.
6. Promote Vision Health
Vitamin A is good for your health and protects your eyes from age-related macular degeneration, a condition that makes it harder to see as you get older.
Sweet potatoes are a great food choice to support the health of your eyes since they include additional minerals like zinc and beta-carotene.
7. Improve Immune System
Vitamin A is found in large amounts in sweet potatoes. It helps the body fight off infections and other illnesses by getting rid of harmful cells. This makes the immune system stronger.
For people 14 years of age and older, the recommended daily allowances for vitamin A are between 700 and 900 mcg.
The 943 micrograms of vitamin A, or around 133 grams of sweet potatoes, more than meets the need in one cup.
So these are the 7 Reasons To Include Sweet Potatoes In Your Diet.
