Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes - Feeding The Real You (2024)

FAQs

When not to eat sweet potatoes? ›

How to tell if sweet potatoes have gone bad. If your sweet potato is soft in spots, smells rotten, or oozes a mysterious liquid, that potato should be discarded. Another sign that sweet potatoes have taken a turn for the worse is if they start growing stalky purplish sprouts.

The study did find that boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes it more absorbable than other cooking methods, such as frying, baking or steaming.

Sweet potatoes are full of antioxidants, vitamins and fiber to support your eye, digestive and heart health. They're generally safe to eat daily, especially if you eat them with calcium to prevent calcium oxalate kidney stones. There are so many fun and tasty ways to eat sweet potatoes.

If you compare baking to boiling, microscopically, boiling helps thin out the cell walls and gelatinize the starch, which may enhance the bioavailability of nutrients, while at the same time the glycemic index of boiled sweet potatoes was found to be only about half that of baking or roasting.

Sweet potatoes contain high amounts of oxalates that may increase the risk of calcium-oxalate kidney stones. Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene, and their excessive consumption can lead to hypervitaminosis A (vitamin A toxicity), in which excess vitamin A accumulates in the liver.

Gastrointestinal Health

Along with anti-inflammatory properties, sweet potatoes have plenty of gut-friendly fiber, especially if you eat the skin. They are a mixture of soluble fiber, which can lower cholesterol and balance glucose, and insoluble fiber, which helps keep your bowels healthy and regular.

Just one sweet potato gives you 102% of the vitamin A you need each day. This helps keep your eyes healthy as well as your immune system, your body's defense against germs. It's also good for your reproductive system and organs like your heart and kidneys.

Sweet potatoes are often touted as being healthier than white potatoes, but in reality, both types can be highly nutritious. While regular and sweet potatoes are comparable in their calorie, protein, and carb content, white potatoes provide more potassium, whereas sweet potatoes are incredibly high in vitamin A.

Answer: Sweet potatoes are favored by many as a morning food because they are considered a superfood, rich in protein, vitamins, and fiber. These qualities make them an excellent option for weight loss and even a viable replacement for main meals.

Sweet potatoes are packed with fiber, beta-carotene, and numerous other vitamins and minerals that support the kidneys. They also are high in potassium. Eating potassium-rich foods may help balance sodium levels in the body, reducing strain on the kidneys.

Is sweet potato anti-inflammatory? ›

The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes has been shown to fight inflammation, and eating them regularly can help ease joint pain and other symptoms of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. If you're looking for a delicious way to reduce inflammation, add some sweet potatoes to a salad or bake alongside protein!

The peel of a sweet potato has nearly ten times the antioxidant power as the flesh (an antioxidant capacity comparable to that of blueberries). However, the peel's nutrition really takes a hit when baked, which wipes out over two thirds of the antioxidants, whereas microwaving or boiling are comparatively much gentler.

When boiled or roasted, sweet potatoes have a creamy texture that make them easy to put down. But the reason sweet potatoes will play nicely with your stomach is simple: It's a fast-digesting carbohydrate. Potatoes, both regular and sweet, do contain fiber, but a lot of that is in the skin.

To be specific, Sapola says that roasting sweet potatoes can take their glycemic index score from a 60 to a 90—pretty drastic for such a simple change. Now, experts will usually advise against boiling your vegetables, since you lose many of their valuable nutrients in the cooking water.

Good sweet potatoes should have a firm skin without any cracks or brown spots. Any discoloration on the skin of sweet potatoes is a sign of spoilage. Additionally, the presence of white substance or white sap on the skin is a sign of harmful bacteria.

If the green tint on your taters is light and mostly skin-deep, peel them well to remove the green parts and go forth. But if they're starting to look like post-transformation Fiona, it's time to pitch 'em. Same goes for potatoes that have gone mushy or wrinkly—those are tell-tale signs of spoilage.

Wrinkly skin If your sweet potato's skin looks shriveled or wrinkly, this is a surefire sign of decay. A wrinkly sweet potato will taste sour or “off,” and it can even cause sickness if eaten, so it's safest to throw them away.

Absolutely! Sprouted sweet potatoes can either be fried, boiled, baked or tossed into a stir fry. With tender sprouts, you can prepare an assortment of recipes that your family will surely enjoy.