Sweet Potato & Yam Health Benefits

Sweet potatoes are a Native American plant that was the main source of nourishment for early homesteaders and for soldiers during the Revolutionary War. These tuberous roots are among the most nutritious vegetables and are excellent sources of the antioxidants beta-carotine and vitamin C.

There are two varieties of sweet potatoes: the pale yellow with a dry flesh and the dark orange with a moist flesh. The dark-orange variety is plumper in shape and somewhat sweeter and moister than the yellow variety. Because most of the nutrients in sweet potatoes are next to the skin, cook them whole whenever possible. Yams and sweet potatoes are very similar and often confused for one another, but they aren’t the same. However, they are interchangeable in most recipes.

While sweet potatoes and yams are very healthy if simply cooked, many recipes—such as candied yams or sweet potato fries—pile on butter, sugar, and oil. So avoid these add-ons to get the most nutrition from these sweet tubers.

Health Benefits

Lowers blood pressure.
Eating sweet potatoes and yams is a smart move if you have high blood pressure. That’s because they’re rich in potassium, a mineral known for bringing pressure down. You’ll get more potassium from a sweet potato than you will from a banana.

Keeps skin and eyes healthy.
The high levels of beta-carotene in sweet potatoes protect eye health and keep your skin looking great.

Guards against infections.
Rich in beta-carotene, sweet potatoes and yams may help your body stave off infections.

Fights heart disease.
Beta-carotene and vitamin C may also help combat heart disease.

Avoid diabetes complications.
The vitamin C in sweet potatoes protect against complications of diabetes, such as nerve and eye damage.

Boosts cancer survival.
A recent study found that among almost 2,000 men studied, those whose diets were richest in beta-carotene and vitamin C—two nutrients plentiful in sweet potatoes—were more likely to survive prostate cancer than those whose diets contained little of the two nutrients.

Reduces breast cancer risk.
The famous Nurses’ Health Study at Harvard Medical School found that women who ate lots of foods rich in beta-carotene, such as sweet potatoes, reduced their risk of breast cancer by as much as 25%.

Helps blood sugar and cholesterol.
Sweet potatoes are packed with disease-fighting soluble fiber to help lower blood sugar and cholesterol.

May reduce insulin resistance.
Sweet potatoes are extraordinarily rich in carotenoids, orange and yellow pigments that play a role in helping the body respond to insulin. These tubers are also rich in the natural plant compound chlorogenic acid, which may help reduce insulin resistance.

Old School
Sweet potatoes and yams are different names for the same vegetable.
New Wisdom
Yams and sweet potatoes are unrelated.

Eating Tips
• Bake thick sticks coated with oil and five-spice powder.
• Add to hash browns.
• Make a meal of baked sweet potato topped with cooked spinach, ham, and shredded Swiss.

Buying Tips
• Choose firm, dark, smooth sweet potatoes or yams without wrinkles, bruises, sprouts, or decay.
• Even if you cut them away, decayed spots may have already caused the whole vegetable to take on an unpleasant flavor.

Storing Tips
• To keep sweet potatoes and yams fresh, store them in a dry, cool (55°F to 60°F or 13°C to 15.5°C) place such as a cellar, pantry, or garage. They will keep here for a month or longer.
• Don’t store them in the refrigerator, because they may develop a hard core and a bad taste.
• If you keep them at normal room temperature, you should use them within a week of purchase.
• Don’t wash them until you’re ready to cook them. The moisture from washing will make them spoil faster.

QUICK TIP:
Eat the skin
You can brush the excess dirt off your sweet potatoes, but don’t take the skin off. When eaten with the skin on, a sweet potato has as much fiber as half a cup of oatmeal, for about 100 calories.

SWEET POTATO AND YAM FACTS
• Sweet potatoes contain an enzyme that converts most of its starches into sugars as the potato matures. This sweetness continues to increase during storage and when you cook them.
• Canned sweet potatoes are often labeled yams.
• Yams derive their name from the Senegalese word fiam, meaning “to eat.”