Sweet Potato Facts

Some Interesting Sweet Potato Facts For You

• The sweet potato is a vegetable all its own. It is only related distantly to the potato, and to the yam, which people often use interchangeably with the name “sweet potato”.

• Sweet potatoes were originally grown in the warmer parts of South America, over five thousand years ago. They were introduced throughout that region, and into the Caribbean area. The first people from Europe to taste sweet potatoes, facts say, were men who sailed with Christopher Columbus in 1492.

• Sweet potatoes aren't just for Thanksgiving – they are available year-round. But they are at their peak in November and December. Sweet potatoes have orange or yellow flesh and their skin can be purple, red, orange, yellow or white. The orange root veggie often called a “yam” is really a sweet potato, not a yam at all.

• One sweet potato, facts state, has only ninety-five calories. It contains over 200% of your RDA of Vitamin A. It also contains Vitamin C, manganese, copper and fiber.

• Sweet potatoes are a very good source of Vitamin A, as beta-carotene, and they also contain a good amount of Vitamin C. Both of these are known to be useful forms of antioxidants, which help to eliminate free radicals in the body, before the free radicals can damage cells in your body. These same nutrients can also help reduce the extent to which inflammation plays a role in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and asthma.

• A sweet potato is a good source of vitamin B6, which helps to decrease your risk of stroke and heart attack. The vitamin A in a sweet potato, facts confirm, helps fight off the effects of the cancer-causing agent in cigarette smoke.

• In selecting sweet potatoes, choose one that is firm and doesn't have soft spots, bruises or cracks. Cold temperatures affect their taste, so do not buy a refrigerated one. Store sweet potatoes in a dark and cool place, and this will help keep them fresh for ten days.

• When you buy organic sweet potatoes, you can eat the entire potato, including the skin. If you purchase commercially grown ones, peel them before eating, as sometimes the growers treat the skin with wax or dye.

• A few tasty ideas to help you incorporate sweet potatoes into your diet:

• Cook sweet potatoes and then puree them with maple syrup, bananas and cinnamon. You can top this with nuts to make it an added treat.

• Cube a sweet potato and steam it with broccoli and tofu. Then mix in raisins and serve cold or hot.

• Try your autumn favorites year-round: sweet potato pudding, muffins, bread or pie are tasty!

• You can serve baked sweet potatoes cold, and then you can pack them in school lunches.