Nutrient Brief: Holiday Sweet Potatoes

Alright ladies and gents, it is about that time of year where we all sit around a table with bountiful dishes of food that every one elected to cook. Then we load up our plate, which we end up only eating half of because our eyes are SO much bigger than our stomachs. Have you ever taken a second to think about what you are eating and what benefits you could possible get out of substituting one of your favorite holiday dishes for, perhaps, a more nutritional dish?

Sweet potatoes, for example, are a great addition to add to your feast. They are a great source of Flavonoids (The pigment in plants and is also an antioxidant). Beta-carotene (at average 8509 mcg per sweet potato) and Vitamin A (14187 IU per sweet potato) are two of the most common flavonoids found in sweet potatoes. Beta-carotene, after being ingested, is converted in the body into Vitamin A. 

Vitamin A is not only a great antioxidant, but it also helps maintain healthy mucus membranes and skin. It is also essential in eye health. Flavonoids in general have been found to help prevent lung and oral cavity cancers. The tubers (root and steam of the plant) are packed full of Pyridoxine (Vitamin B-6) (.209mg), Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) (80mg) and Thiamin (Vitamin B-1) (.078mg), Riboflavin (.061mg), and Niacin (.557mg). These are essential in the metabolic process.

Here are some other interesting facts to know about sweet potatoes: with most other plants we have to eat the skin truly gain the entire antioxidant levels that the plant provides, but with sweet potatoes, the fleshy part of the tubers, you can receive the same amount without having to eat the skin. For all those of you who partake in dangerous activities or things your body is past its prime to do, sweet potatoes have shown to be effect as an anti-inflammatory!

Anthocyanin and other color-related pigments that are found the tuber has shown to decrease inflammation. Also, Sweet potatoes contain Fibrinogen (a key glycoprotein) which helps in the process of blood clotting.

There so many different ways in which you can incorporate sweet potatoes into your Thanksgiving feast. You can use them in a pie, a casserole, and you can even just eat them steamed. So, if a sweet potato pie or a yummy sweet potato casserole sounds like something you would enjoy eating then step outside of the box and go for it!

HEALTHY SWEET POTATO PIE RECIPE

written by:

Jena Campbell

National Personal Training Institute

Fitness/Nutrition Coach

References: www.nutrition-and-you.com

                  www.whfoods.org