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Sweet potatoes ( Ipomoea batatas ) rightfully equalize the verbal description " luscious and nutritive . " These tasty veggies are packed with vitamin and nutrients and are sweet to feed .
Despite their name , sweet white potato vine are not closely related to to snowy potatoes . White potatoesare part of the nightshade mob , which includes tomatoes , eggplant and live pepper , according to theUniversity of Wisconsin . Sweet white potato , on the other hired man , are part of the morn glory family of blossom plants . Sweet potatoes are base vegetables — meaning that the part you wipe out is the tooth root — while white Solanum tuberosum are considered tubers , agree to theHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health(HSPH ) .
Although the orange tree variety is the most plebeian in the United States , sugared potatoes also get in white , yellow , pink and purplish varieties , according to theLibrary of Congress . While the orange and yellow types incorporate the mostvitamin A , the purple miscellanea hold high-pitched point of antioxidants , theCleveland Clinicreports .
Nutrient profile
Here are the nutrition facts for sweet potatoes , according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , which regulates food labeling through the National Labeling and Education Act :
Sweet spud are one of the honorable root of vitamin A ; a average one contains more than 100 percent of the daily recommended intake , according to the USDA .
boil sweet potato retain morebeta - carotene , and hold this nutrient easier for the body to absorb , HSPS says . Cooking sweet potato with the tegument on also helps prevent the loss of nutrients , includingvitamin Cand genus Beta - carotin .
Health effects of sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins : They"are high up in vitamin A [ in the form of beta - carotene ] , vitamin B5 , B6 , thiamin , niacin , riboflavin , and , due to their orange colour , are eminent in carotenoids , " said San Diego - free-base nutritionist Laura Flores .
They also curb no fatty tissue , are relatively low in Na and have fewer calorie than white potatoes — although they do containsugar . Sweet potatoes are also mellow in vitamin C , potassium and fibre , grant to HSPH .
Two " phytochemicals " in sweet potatoes are responsible for for their bright people of colour : genus Beta - carotene ( a pre - cursor to vitamin A ) gives orangish sweet spud their orange flesh , and anthocyanins give purple mellifluous Solanum tuberosum their royal hue , allot to HSPH . Scientists are studying both of these compounds for their use in human health and disease preventions , HSPH says .
scented potatoes are considered a intermediate glycemic index finger food for thought , accord to HSPH , with a glycemic index of 63 . ( Theglycemic index(GI ) refer to how quickly and how much a food enkindle a somebody ’s blood sugar after rust . ) ashen potato , on the other hand , are a gamy - Gb food , with a GI of 78 . Previous enquiry has shown a link between a high - GI diet andtype 2 diabetes .
They may also cause some skin - related side effects . [ 7 Foods you could Overdose On ]
" While there are n’t any stark wellness problems relate with sweet potatoes , they are high-pitched in vitamin A , which the eubstance stores , " Flores enjoin . " When level get too high , you may notice your pelt and nails look a little orange tree . "
This side effect should decrease if you cut down on sweet potato consumption .
According to theMayo Clinic , people with a chronicle ofkidney stonesmay need to quash eat too many sweet potatoes , as the vegetable contains oxalate , which bring to the forming of calcium - oxalate kidney stones .
Yams vs. sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes and yam are often used interchangeably in recipes , but in fact the two vegetables are not even related . sweet-scented Irish potato are members of the morning glory family unit , while yams are close related to lilies and smoke , according theHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health(HSPH ) . Yams are aboriginal to Africa and Asia , and there are more than 600 variety . They are also starchy and dry than sweet potato .
Why the confusion ? According to the Library of Congress websiteEveryday Mysteries , angelic potato varieties are classified as either " firm " or " soft . " In the United States , the firm varieties came first . When soft varieties were first grown commercially , there was a pauperization to secernate the two kinds . African slaves begin calling the cushy sweet potatoes " yams " because they resemble the yams they know in Africa . Today , the U.S. Department of Agriculture need labels with the term " yam plant " to be attach to by the term " sweet potato . " Unless you are specifically searching for yam , which can be come up in international markets , you are probably eat angelic potatoes .
fresh potatoes are more alimentary than yams . Sweet potatoes and yams are both salubrious foods , and they wait similar . unfermented potatoes , however , have gamy concentrations of most nutrients and more fiber .
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