The season of Sweet Potatoes is the time to consider switching from expensive tubers to a cheaper alternative to cushion the economic pressure on food expenses and still enjoy the nutrients, sweetness desirable in family daily meals.
Sweet potatoes are full of nutrients that keep your systems humming and your blood sugar steady, and they can even reduce your cancer risk.
Sweet potatoes are a good source of potassium, an electrolyte that you sweat out when you exercise. The body relies on potassium, which helps to keep your nerves firing, your heart beating and your muscles contracting.
Potassium also helps you maintain a healthy blood pressure by stimulating the kidneys to excrete sodium and also causes blood vessels to relax.
Sweet potatoes get their signature flavor from naturally occurring sugars unlike sugary beverages, sweet potatoes are relatively high in dietary fibre (about four grams per potato). Fiber is good for the body to digest, while slowing down the breakdown of sugar. According to dietitians blood sugar levels spike when you consume other sugary foods, but when you eat a sweet potato, blood sugar levels rise gradually.
One medium sweet potato contains more than 100 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A, primarily in the form of beta-carotene while a medium sweet potato contains roughly 20 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. Both vitamins are powerful antioxidants that can neutralize free radicals, unstable oxygen molecules that can damage cells and DNA, increasing the risk of cancer and other diseases. Vitamin A is also an important building block for proteins inside the retina that detect light, making it essential for vision, moreover, the body needs vitamin C to absorb iron.
Sweet potatoes also contain high levels of copper and manganese, which the body uses to produce antioxidants.
To enjoy sweet potatoes you can prepare it in several ways but primarily you can cook, roast or fry accompanied with a savoury sauce or hygienic fresh palm oil. It is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner and that determines how you prepare it because deep fries are not very good for dinner.
When next you visit the market consider buying sweet potatoes rather than other expensive tubers to enjoy the sweetness and other health benefits while spending less on food because potatoes season is here.
femiores@katsinamirror.ng