Sweet Potato Fries

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.

With their melt-in-the-mouth, sugar flesh, and delicious taste, sweet potatoes are a healthy way to satisfy your carb-cravings. They are a moderate source of calories and are packed with fibre and other nutrients that not only help you stay healthy, but also boost weight loss.

Sweet potatoes are a rich source of fibre as well as containing an array of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium, and they’re a good source of most of our B vitamins and vitamin C. One of the key nutritional benefits of sweet potato is that they’re high in an antioxidant known as beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A once consumed. Add a drizzle of olive oil just before serving to increase your absorption of beneficial beta-carotene.

Facts:

While there are no single ‘superfoods’ that can prevent cancer and certain risk factors for cancer are unrelated to diet, there is evidence that eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of cancer. Fruit and vegetables are high in antioxidants, compounds that help defend the body against damage by ‘free radicals’. Studies have suggested that the antioxidants in the peel of sweet potatoes in particular, and especially purple sweet potato, may help reduce this oxidation process, thereby reducing the risk of cancer. To get the most nutrition from your sweet potatoes, don’t peel – simply scrub well before cooking.

A study in Asia also found that diets high in vitamin-A rich vegetables, including sweet potato leaves, may provide potential protection from lung cancer.