The healthy secrets of Sweet Potatoes

Not your normal carbohydrate . . .

I'm not really sure why carbs of any form ever got a bad rep, or why people would ever try to avoid this delicious vegetable, but here's some insight as to why sweet potatoes are an excellent source of energy, antioxidants, fiber, and many other vitamins and minerals !

Both potatoes and sweet potatoes are a perfect way to enhance your carbohydrate diversity -- aside from just eating various whole grain breads, pastas, and cereals. Like any other carbohydrate potatoes are a power house for ENERGY, which means these nutrient dense vegetables will keep you going all day long... or until your feeling hungry again ! This is primarily due to the resistant starches found in this vegetable, which make it different than other carbohydrate options. Resistant starches found in potatoes and sweet potatoes allow it to be slowly digested and released into the body for energy. This is the main difference between these natural foods and traditional processed carbohydrate options.

Unlike many other vegetables you can't eat an "unlimited amount" of potatoes, but you also would feel sick if you tried and that is primarily due to their satisfying composition of starch. Because sweet potatoes are higher in starch composition than most other vegetables you may have a tendency to eat 1 medium sized potato and feel satisfied ! This is GREAT because unlike many processed carbohydrate options you find in grocery stores, you can't overdue it with potatoes, but you will still retain plenty of extra nutrients to benefit your health.

So yes, both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes are high in carbohydrates, but if you look around so are many other processed foods in today's society ! It all starts with how these foods are prepared. While a delicious loaded baked potato with high fat sour cream, and cheese sounds amazing at certain times, there are other various ways to incorporate these energy rich foods into your diet without them seeming like a "detriment" to your fitness and or health related goals.

Why is preparation key ?

I like to ask myself this when preparing foods . . . "How can I keep the natural benefits of this superfood, while still making it enjoyable to eat?" (& believe me there are plenty techniques to preparation that keep healthy foods - healthy and delicious !)

Top 3 Preparation Techniques for Sweet Potatoes: Bake, Boil, or Roast

** MY FAVORITE and QUICK alternative is the ~microwave~ ooO, ahh ! My mom taught me this simple trick when I was younger but never actually learned to do it for myself until now ! Here's how: with the use of a fork or sharp knife stab some holes in your washed sweet potato, next grab a paper towel and wet it under water, wrap the sweet potato in the wet paper towel, and place in the microwave for approximately 5 min ! (This is best for small - medium sized potatoes)

** NOTE: Frying preparation has a tendency to create harmful acrylamides which are often cancer causing agents plants give off when cooked in deep fat oils **

To Put in Perspective:

Sources:

http://www.prevention.com/food/which-healthier-baked-potato-or-sweet-potato

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/regular-vs-sweet-potatoes

For some helpful recipes and creative ideas for the next time you want to utilize this power veggie, go onto Pinterest and search "healthy sweet potato ideas" OR head on over to my instagram page (@soyumsofun) for quick and easy recipes like my favorite -- "Sweet Potato Power Bowl" or "Loaded Sweet Potato" !