by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: January 01, 2009

A number of studies have suggested that the sweet potato is the most nutritious vegetable we can eat, bar none. Its complex blend of dietary fibres, carbohydrates and naturally occurring sugars, as well as Vitamins A and C and iron and calcium, together with its low fat, sodium and cholesterol content, sees it far outrank its nearest rival, the ordinary potato (if baked.)

So what do all these complex sounding benefits actually mean in layman's terms in the context of how they are good for our bodies and consequently our all round health?

Sweet potatoes have an extremely high fibre content. Some of the benefits of fibre include keeping the intestinal walls and colon clean, regulating bowel movements and helping to rid the body of harmful cholesterol. Foods high in fibre can also "fill us up" quicker, leading to us eating less and thus stimulating weight loss.

Vitamin A is essential to our eyes, for keeping our vision at its best. It is also needed by the skin in order to repair cellular damage such as bruises or abrasions, it is needed by our bones and teeth, and it is also responsible for keeping our reproductive systems in full working order.

Vitamin C in sweet potatoes serves as a powerful antioxidant, battling those free radicals in our systems which can be so harmful in the long term, destroying the cellular structure of our bodies and leading to certain types of cancer. Vitamin C is also essential to our immune systems, helping to protect us against things as simple as the common cold and lots more complex diseases.

Iron is essential for keeping our blood healthy and assists in the transportation of oxygen around our bodies, while calcium is very important to the like of our teeth and bones, to keep them strong and healthy, as well as helping fight against the likes of high blood pressure and heart disease.

These benefits and more obtained from sweet potatoes, however, can only be enjoyed if we prepare, cook and eat the sweet potatoes in the correct fashion. Deep frying them in saturated fat, for example, somewhat neutralises said benefits! So how do we eat sweet potatoes in a healthy manner? Below - very briefly - are a couple of suggestions.

Sweet Potato Mash

Peel and chop the sweet potatoes and boil them in slightly salted water until they are just soft enough to mash. Drain them well and put them in a bowl with a little low fat soured cream, some crushed garlic and some torn basil leaves and mash. Sweet potatoes are delicious served this way with the likes of a poached chicken breast on top and some peas.

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Peel and chop the sweet potatoes as before. Add a little sunflower oil to a large bowl, together with a pinch of ground cumin. Mix the sweet potato chunks thoroughly through this resin before baking in a medium oven for around twenty-five minutes to half an hour on a baking tray. Toss them with some crushed garlic and freshly chopped cilantro/coriander leaf prior to serving as an accompaniment to some lean lamb cutlets.

I hope that you can see the benefits of sweet potatoes to our bodies and that if you are not already very familiar with their delicious flavour, you will experience it for yourself very soon.

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