Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato 

Photo Credit: Jenny 

Sweet Potato Pie 

Photo Credit: Jenny

Sweet potato is a delicious and healthy vegetable that can be enjoyed as part of a meal or as a yummy snack (see recipe ideas below). Not all veggies are equally healthy though, so it’s important to note both the high and low marks of the mighty sweet potato.

Vitamins

Vitamin A (which is a family of compounds including beta-carotene) is imperative for development, healthy immune system, vision, and skin health. Sweet potatoes are extremely rich in vitamin A. In fact, one small sweet potato (60 g) contains 577 µg vitamin A which is close to the daily recommended intake (600-900 µg per day).

Although sweet potatoes contain high levels of vitamin A, they contain low levels of vitamin B12 and vitamin D which are necessary for your brain, nervous system, energy, metabolism, and immune system. Therefore, these essential vitamins must be consumed from other sources.

Sodium

The relatively high sodium content in sweet potatoes is neither positive nor negative; it rather depends on how you look at it. Sodium is often labeled as “bad,” but one must make the distinction between sodium (which is essential for your body to function) and high sodium (which can lead to hypertension). Sweet potatoes have significantly higher amounts of sodium compared to potatoes (sometimes 6-10 times as much depending on how they are cooked). One large baked sweet potato without added salt contains 65 mg sodium which is quite high compared to other veggies, but considering the recommended dietary intake of sodium is 1500-2300 mg per day, one sweet potato probably won’t break that budget.

Calories, carbs, fat, and fiber

One large baked sweet potato without salt contains 162 calories, 37 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g fat, and 5.9 g fiber. Although sweet potatoes are high in fiber, they are higher in calories and carbohydrates compared to other veggies thus making them a far less attractive foodstuff for those attempting low-calorie or low-carb diets. However, they are an excellent choice for low-fat diets since they are nearly fat-free and will help keep you full.

Effects on type 2 diabetes

Sweet potatoes have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and some studies suggest a potential role of sweet potato consumption in glycemic control.

In 2011, a meta-analysis concluded that sweet potato consumption may improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetes based on the accumulation of evidence at the time, though they suggested larger standardized trials are necessary to better determine the link.[1]

However, a similar study was published in 2013 which suggested there is not sufficient evidence to claim sweet potato consumption has a beneficial effect for type 2 diabetes.[2]

On a positive note, sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index meaning they don’t significantly increase blood glucose levels compared to other foods (like potatoes which spike blood glucose levels after consumption).

Jenny's Delicious Recipes 

Sweet potato tastes great baked in the oven, serves as a great side dish and can be made into pasta. It is one of my favorite foods. Sometimes I will just boil some water and after about 30 minutes, I will mash it up. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi 
This an extremely delicious pasta, but a difficult dough to work with because the potato is so soft and squishy. Work with the dough slowly. You can add any sauce you want to the gnocchi, but it goes well with butter and sage sauce (4 tablespoons of butter with a few sprigs of sage sautéed for about 5 minutes). 

Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour
• 2 lbs of sweet potato
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions:

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into fourths.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil for the potatoes. Once the water is
• boiling, boil the potatoes for 20 more minutes.
• After the potatoes are cooked, put them into a ricer to make the dough.
• Pour the flour onto the potatoes.
• With the potato and the flour, make a hole in the middle of the ingredients.
• Crack the egg and put the egg in the center.
• Stir the egg, potato and flour. Make sure that the egg is pretty well mixed.
• Scoop the mixture together and make the dough by kneading. Knead the dough until all the ingredients are assembled nicely and there is no loose potato. Add more flour if needed to help. The dough should feel soft and smooth. If it sticks to your work surface, sprinkle a bit more flour — but don’t add too much because the amount of flour you add to the gnocchi will make them dense and heavy. 
• Once the dough has been kneaded into a ball let it rest for about five minutes.
• Cut the dough into 8 small pieces.
• With each small piece, roll the dough into a long tube, about a half-inch in diameter.
• Cut dough with a knife into small pieces.

If you are not going to cook this pasta now, freeze the gnocchi by laying them out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Once the individual gnocchi are frozen, you can put them in a plastic bag. (Never thaw the frozen gnocchi, but put them in the boiling water frozen). If you are not going to freeze the gnocchi, start a pot of water. Wait till the water is boiling, add salt and put the gnocchi in. The gnocchi cooks very fast!  When they rise to the surface, strain them immediately. Do not wait for all of them to get to the surface or they will overcook.

Sweet Potato Chips or Fries

Serves 2

I love chips and especially crunchy, crispy ones. This recipe involves no frying and uneccessary oil. 1/2 potato makes so many chips. You can also do this same recipe, but cut the potato into FRIES.

Serves: 2

• Ingredients:
• 1 large sweet potato 
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil 
• Few shakes of salt 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Slice a potato very thin. You can leave the skin on if you would like. 
• Soak the slices in water for five to ten minutes. 
• Add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Sprinkle the potatoes with olive oil (optional) and salt. 
• Bake for 30-40 minutes. Make sure to check the potatoes every 15 minutes and turn them so they bake evenly.

Sweet Potato Chips or Fries

Serves 2

I love chips and especially crunchy, crispy ones. This recipe involves no frying and uneccessary oil. 1/2 potato makes so many chips. You can also do this same recipe, but cut the potato into FRIES.

Serves: 2
Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato 
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil 
• Few shakes of salt 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Slice a potato very thin. You can leave the skin on if you would like. 
• Soak the slices in water for five to ten minutes. 
• Add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Sprinkle the potatoes with olive oil (optional) and salt. 
• Bake for 30-40 minutes. Make sure to check the potatoes every 15 minutes and turn them so they bake evenly.

Baked Sweet Potato 

Serves: 1 

Ingredients: 

• 1 sweet potato 

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Make a small slit in the potato and cover with aluminum foil 
• Bake for 45 minutes

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All nutritional info was obtained from USDA nutrition database

[1] Suksomboon et al. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011; 137 (3): 1328-33.

[2] Ooi and Loke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013; 9:CD009128.