Sweet potato: properties and nutritional values of the American tuber
The properties of the sweet potato are now on everyone's mouth (and stomach!).
The sweet potato is a tuber native to South America that has had extraordinary success in Japan, specifically in the Kagawa region, where local people eat it raw to treat diabetes and strengthen bones. From South America to Japan, the sweet potato and the properties it enjoys have traveled around the world to land in Italy.
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The properties of the sweet potato: a panacea for health
The properties of the sweet potato make it a delicate but gritty superfood, an ally in nutrition and health.
The glycemic index is greatly influenced by the intake of the American tuber. The reason is simple: the sweet potato is rich in carotenoids, orange and yellow pigments that help the body lower the glycemic index.
In addition, the skin of the sweet potato also has extraordinary properties. A research carried out by the Institute of Biomedical Engineering of the Cnr of Padua, in collaboration with the University of Vienna, has in fact ascertained that the sweet potato peel extract has the properties necessary to reduce basal blood sugar and cholesterol.
The properties of the sweet potato do not end there. The American potato is also rich in vitamins, such as vitamin C, capable of preventing cardiovascular disease and contributing to the treatment of diabetes. Plus, Vitamin C is a great antioxidant, which means: more sweet potatoes = younger skin!
Vitamin A, of which sweet potato is very rich, helps to maintain healthy skin and mucous membranes, as well as greatly strengthening vision.
In addition, research from Harvard Medical School found that, thanks to the presence of beta-carotene, women who ate more sweet potatoes reduced the likelihood of developing breast cancer by 20%.
Sweet potatoes: properties and nutritional values
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the nutritional values of the sweet potato are 100 points higher than those of the traditional variant we usually eat.
The sweet potato is low in calories: 100 grams of boiled sweet potato have 80 calories. Most of these calories are composed of carbohydrates (94%), while proteins (5%) and fats (1%) occupy a more marginal part.
It should be remembered that the sweet potato is rich in fiber and potassium: it has even more of it than bananas!
