Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

Food is any material eaten to provide nutrition to an organism for life. The word food comes from the Latin words “food” and “sear,” which refers to process. Food is generally of animal, plant or fungus origin, and includes essential nutrients, including protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, or minerals. The body needs a regular supply of these nutrients, which are found in the food animals eat and the plants that grow roots for food. In particular, plant foods, although lacking in calories, contain vital nutrients that the body cannot produce by itself.

The modern American diet is deficient in most of the essential nutrients. This can lead to health problems, including an inability to properly absorb minerals and vitamins, to energy loss, a reduction in the efficiency with which the body burns energy, a loss of mental alertness, and to an increased risk of infection. The main sources of dietary fibre are fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, which are rich in both soluble and insoluble fibre. Fibre is important for the operation of the immune system, which may be weakened in people with a genetic predisposition to illness.

Sweet potatoes have been shown to be beneficial in providing the body with the essential dietary fibre, magnesium, potassium, iron, and Vitamin E. Sweet potatoes appear to be particularly helpful in the regulation of blood sugar levels and to protect against type 2 diabetes. It has also been shown that eating sweet potatoes on a regular basis helps to improve overall digestion. One of the most important benefits of sweet potatoes for nutrition is the fact that they contain almost no fat, just the natural sugar. It is the sweetness of the potato that gives it its health promoting properties. Although it is good for you sweet potatoes are not to be eaten at every meal, but enjoyed between meals as part of a wider range of nutritious foods that should form part of your diet.