Putting sweet potatoes on your Thanksgiving menu is a holiday tradition, but this healthy root vegetable should be on your shopping list year 'round. Go ahead and indulge in the traditional sweet potato casserole side loaded with sugar, butter and sticky marshmallows as a special treat for the holidays. Then skip the sugar and enjoy this nutrient dense vegetable year round.
Not only do sweet potatoes taste delicious, they are packed with protein, low in calories and sugar and an excellent source of plant proteins.
Health Benefits of the Sweet Potato:
Immune System: Don't limit your sweet potato consumption to the holidays. Eat them year 'round to help strengthen your body's immune system and develop resistance to infection.
Heart disease: Sweet potatoes are a high potassium root vegetable that can help prevent heart attack and stroke. Potassium helps your body maintain normal heart function and blood pressure as well as keeping fluid and electrolyte balance in the body cells.
Anti-oxidant: Sweet potatoes are known to have a high amount of anti-oxidant, helping to combat inflammatory problems like asthma, arthritis, and gout.
Stress: If you are stressed out, have a sweet potato. Stress makes your metabolic rate rise, and lowers your potassium levels. A sweet potato can help to rebalance the potassium and normalize your heartbeat.
Diabetes: This fibrous root vegetable is a great sugar regulator and helps to stabilize and lower insulin resistance.
Digestive tract: Eat a sweet potato and get a significant amount of dietary fiber, especially when you eat the skin. This helps to promote a healthy digestive tract.
Emphysema: If you are a smoker or inhale second-hand smoke, sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin A. Smoking has been known to make people deficient in Vitamin A, so if you refuse to quit smoking, at pile on the sweet potatoes for some extra vitamin help.
Muscle Cramps: Marathon runners, take note. A deficiency in potassium can cause muscular cramps and greater susceptibility to injury. Make sweet potatoes a regular part of your diet if you exercise a lot, to not just boost your energy but to prevent cramps and injuries.
Aside from making the classic sweet potato casserole recipe for the holidays, skip the sugar and steam or bake a sweet potato when you need a healthy snack or to serve with dinner. No time? Microwave it for 5-7 minutes, depending on the size. Add a dash of brown sugar and cinnamon and enjoy the health benefits.
Source: whfoods
