Sweet potatoes - beneficial properties and harm of sweet potatoes

Although sweet potatoes are often called sweet potatoes, from a botanical point of view, it has nothing to do with familiar potatoes. Potatoes (Solánum tuberósum) belong to the family of Solanaceae (Solanaceae), and sweet potatoes (Ipomoéa batátas) belong to the tubers of the family of Convolvulaceae.

Containing a rich set of useful elements of sweet potato roots with nodule thickenings were the main food and feed crops of the ancient peoples of Central and South America. After the discovery of America, the sweet potato came to Europe and quickly became a popular vegetable widely used in cooking, medicine, and animal husbandry. In many countries, sweet potato is a staple food.

The composition of sweet potatoes

There are many varieties of sweet potatoes. They differ in color of the peel and pulp, form, chemical composition. However, each tuber has:

• fiber (dietary fiber);
• organic acids;
• starch;
• ash;
• monosaccharides (glucose);
• disaccharides;
• antioxidants - beta-carotene, anthocyanins, quercetin (vitamin P);
• trace elements (iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc, calcium, honey, potassium, copper, manganese, phosphorus).

Important! Most of the beta-carotene is in the roots of sweet potatoes, the flesh of which is colored yellow or orange. Purple yam contains many anthocyanins.

The content of vitamins sweet potato several times higher than ordinary potatoes. 100 grams of pulp contains:

• 0, 3 ml of beta-carotene;
• 0.15 ml of thiamine (B1);
• 0.05 ml of riboflavin (B2);
• 23 ml of ascorbic acid (C);
• 0.6 ml of nicotinic acid (PP).

In addition, the "vitamin set" includes vitamins A (retinol), B4 (choline), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 ​​(pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), E, ​​K.

Despite the rather large amount of sugars, sweet potatoes belong to low-calorie foods. The nutritional value of 100 grams of pulp is 59-61 kcal. 100 g of sweet potatoes contain 2 g of proteins, 14.6 g of carbohydrates, 0.01 g of fats..

Useful properties for the body

High saturation with healthy substances makes sweet potatoes not only a tasty product, but also allows its use in therapeutic, dietary and sports nutrition:

1. Vitamin A helps people who are actively involved in sports or hard physical labor, recuperate. Sports nutrition, containing sweet potatoes, contributes to the rapid build-up of muscle mass.
2. Due to the high content of retinol, the yam is recommended to be eaten by a heavy smoker, as the prevention of pulmonary emphysema, caused by a lack of vitamin A in the body.
3. Retinol and Vitamin E increase skin elasticity and prevent the early appearance of wrinkles, contributing to the production of halogen, and a high content of fiber allows you to quickly reach a state of satiety and promotes fat absorption, which is very useful for weight loss.
4. Beta-carotene improves eyesight.
5. Because of the low glycemic index and the high content of carotenoids that increase insulin susceptibility, sweet potato dishes are included in the diet of people with diabetes.
6. It is recommended to introduce in the menu dishes of sweet potatoes and people with gastritis, duodenal ulcer, stomach. Vegetable helps to strengthen the gastric mucosa, improves the condition of constipation.
7. Some elements contained in sweet potatoes (especially vitamin B6) strengthen the walls of blood vessels, prevent the formation of cholesterol plaques, regulate pressure and water balance, which makes it extremely useful in cardiovascular diseases.
8. Antioxidants and vitamin C contribute to the prevention of cancer.
9. Potassium helps to cope with the effects of stressful situations, chronic insomnia and fatigue, neurosis, depression, relieves muscle spasms caused by its deficiency. Choline improves memory.
10. Possessing an anti-inflammatory effect, sweet potato relieves the condition during inflammation of the brain and nerve tissue. It increases blood clotting, preventing large blood loss in injuries, abdominal operations and speeding up wound healing.

Regular consumption of yams increases libido and fertility (the ability to conceive a child), is beneficial for the well-being of women during menopause.

Harm

Although a sweet potato has many useful properties, it can, if it does not follow the rules of healthy eating, cause serious harm to the human body:

• A large number of acids contained in the sweet potato, can worsen the condition during the acute form of duodenal ulcer and stomach, ulcerative colitis, gastritis, diverticulosis.
• Oxalate substances contained in yam contribute to the formation of sand and kidney stones, gall bladder.
• For people with renal insufficiency, “overdose” of yam is dangerous, it can provoke an excess of potassium in the blood.
• Too much of the sweet potato in the diet can lead to the development of vitamin A hypervitaminosis and provoke liver disease.
• Batata is an exotic product and the body can react to it with an allergic reaction, which is manifested by skin rashes, itching, difficulty breathing - especially careful should be tasting sweet potato dishes for people who are allergic to plants of the dioscoreania family.
• The saturation of the active substances makes the sweet potato a rather dangerous product for pregnant and lactating women, presumably the consumption of sweet potatoes can provoke a miscarriage, leading to the occurrence of congenital anomalies and abnormalities in the infant.

So far, no information has been published on the interaction of the yam with medicines. Although it is clear that people taking hormone replacement, anti-inflammatory, anti-cholesterol drugs, beta-blockers need to be careful.

How to choose when buying?

There are many varieties and varieties of sweet potatoes, especially which should be considered when buying. Batat is divided into three main groups:

1. afthaving white or yellowish flesh, with a thin skin, dishes from it are dryish, savory, similar in taste to ordinary potatoes;
2. vegetable - dark yam varieties with dense skin and rich orange, pink, yellow flesh, suitable for roasting, boiling, stewing, rarely used in fried form;
3. dessert - purple, purple, red varieties with a varied taste of yellow or orange flesh (melon, banana, pumpkin, chestnut, walnut, melon, carrot, pineapple).

Choosing a sweet potato should pay attention to the condition of the skin. It should be dense, smooth without scratches, wrinkles, stains. For use in cooking it is better to choose not very large hard root crops without damage.

Important! Store sweet potatoes at temperatures above +10 º C in a dry place for no more than 5 weeks.

How to cook and eat?

Universal sweet potato root - it is boiled, baked, fried, eaten raw. In Asia, the popular salad varieties with edible leaves. A coffee substitute is made from the dried seeds, and a tea substitute is made from the leaves. Koreans even manage to cut the sweet potato roots into vegetable noodles.

In China, a hot soup with sweet potatoes is traditionally included in the winter menu. Americans bake sweet potatoes on the grill, add to salads, deep-fried. From the dessert varieties, jam and jam are made, various desserts are prepared. Dried roots are ground into flour, which is used for baking.

The easiest way to eat yam raw, for this it is simply washed well under running water. It is possible and not to scrape off the skin - it contains many useful trace elements.

You can make salad from sweet potato leaves. Leaves are pre-soaked so that bitterness comes out of them, then they are boiled or cut raw. The leaves of the sweet potato are well combined with tomatoes, onions, ginger, mango, pineapple, spinach and other vegetables and fruits. As a dressing, sugar-vinegar mixture, Dijon mustard, olive oil, balsamic and wine vinegar are commonly used.

Boiled roots are also suitable for salads, and fodder and vegetable varieties successfully replace ordinary potatoes in any traditional recipe, giving a well-known dish an unusual flavor.

Cooking yam is simple:

1. Peel the skin, cut the large roots into pieces, small boil whole.
2. Put the roots in the pot, pour cold water, so that it completely covers them, salt.
3. Cook under a closed lid on medium heat for 20-30 minutes until soft.

Boiled sweet potatoes are mashed, diluted with milk and adding a variety of ingredients - bananas, berries, pumpkin, spices (cinnamon, curry), nuts, raisins, honey, vegetable or butter.

Note! Like potato, sweet potatoes are used immediately after peeling. In the air, the pulp oxidizes and darkens.

The technology of cooking sweet potato is almost the same as cooking dishes from potatoes and pumpkins, only additives of salt and sugar are required significantly less.

Every year exotic yams are becoming more and more popular in Russia. It has already been successfully grown not only by gardeners as a curiosity, but also by farmers for deliveries to retail chains. A versatile vegetable in its preparation, saturated with useful substances, when used sensibly, can diversify the menu, help in the treatment of diseases and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Watch the video: The Benefits of Sweet Potatoes (May 2024).