Sweet potato or sweet potato is an ancient vegetable crop, which has nothing to do with the usual potato. This vegetable from the family Convolvulus has been used in food for about 10,000 years. Sweet potato was given to the world by America, in those parts it is especially popular. To date, sweet potatoes are grown in tropical and subtropical countries. The leading positions in the production of sweet potato are Indonesia, India and China. In these countries, the vegetable was called the "fruit of longevity." The beneficial properties of sweet potato (or "potato") make it possible to naturally fill in the deficiency of minerals and trace elements.
What is sweet potato
Sweet taste and pleasant aroma win the hearts of many people, and the benefits of the product deserve respect. Different types of sweet potatoes differ in appearance and taste. The most popular variety is tubers of bright orange color. To taste, the vegetable resembles a very sweet pumpkin, and only appearance is associated with potatoes.
Sweet potato is a climbing plant, with stems that can reach three meters in length. The vegetable itself is formed as a result of thickening of the lateral roots, and the flesh of the fruit can be of very different colors: from white and yellow to purple and red. And legends began to circulate about the beneficial properties of sweet potato or sweet potato ten thousand years ago.
Composition and nutritional value
Sweet potato is a storehouse of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, starch, beta-carotene, folic acid. The product is also useful for losing weight, as it is characterized by low calorie content and high content of ascorbic acid. One serving of a vegetable accounts for slightly more than half the daily norm of vitamin C. Beta-carotene in the body is transformed into vitamin A, and this element, along with vitamin C, is a powerful antioxidant that prevents cell damage and is a good prevention of many dangerous diseases.
In addition, vitamins such as PP, B1, B2, B6, choline, pyridoxine are present in sweet potato. One hundred grams of vegetables account for only 61 calories, 2 grams of protein, a complete lack of fat and 14 grams of carbohydrates. The beneficial properties of sweet potato and potatoes are quite different, with the obvious advantages of the former.
Types of Sweet Potato
Today, China alone grows about a hundred varieties of sweet potato. It is not possible to describe the classification, because officially recognized varietal typology simply does not exist. There are only general categories: vegetable varieties, feed varieties and dessert. They differ among themselves by the color of the peel, the color of the internal pulp and shape. Each of the varieties differs from the others in terms of yield, growth scale, and flowering period. The following sweet potato varieties are the most popular and widely consumed:
- Nancy Hall or pumpkin yam;
- Vir-85;
- Salmon;
- Caramel
- Sweet 100;
- Hae-tung or chestnut.
Despite the fact that the sweet potato is called sweet potato, it cooks faster than the usual root crop. You can eat it in absolutely any form, raw, boiled, fried, baked. On the basis of the vegetable, cereals, soups, salads, cocktails are made. Slimming people have a special love for sweet potato dishes, as the vegetable contains a minimum of calories.
How to eat yam and with what?
In fact, sweet potato is a fairly easy-to-cook vegetable that does not require special cooking skills. If there is no time, but you really want to eat, you can just clean it, wash it and that's it - you can safely eat it. And if there is an extra 20 minutes, then you can make delicious mashed potatoes. The recipe for cooking is also extremely simple: peel the sweet potatoes, cut into cubes, add water and boil like ordinary potatoes for 25 minutes. We drain the water and beat it with a blender until it is puree, you can make it a fork, as the vegetable will become very soft. Neither salt nor sugar is added to such a dish. And even small children gobble it up on both cheeks, as the dish is very sweet and without adding anything.
Fried sweet potato
Another tasty way to cook sweet potato is to fry the vegetable. This method will not appeal to losing weight, but the fried sweet potato is very tasty. Dice the vegetable and fry over medium heat until cooked, while stirring constantly. The undoubted plus of sweet potato is that it is prepared much faster than potatoes. The vegetable goes well with orange zest, lemon juice, curry and pepper.
Jacket in uniform
And there is also a dish, the preparation of which will take only 8 minutes, and will be a real salvation when you need to quickly and healthy eat, and feed loved ones. Such a beta-carotene-rich side dish will only have a beneficial effect on the body of both children and adults. The cooking method is as follows: wrap the unpeeled root vegetables in foil, put on a baking sheet and put in the oven at a temperature of 250 degrees, until completely softened, usually this process takes 15-17 minutes.
Useful properties of sweet potato
Cooking sweet potatoes is a pleasure, but this is not the only plus of the product. The true legends go about the health benefits of sweet potato for health, and scientists were able to find out the following:
- Strengthens the walls of blood vessels, favorably affects the work of the cardiovascular system. Doctors recommend adding sweet potato dishes to those with pressure problems;
- Due to the high content of antioxidants, the beneficial and healing properties of sweet potato know no boundaries. Sweet potatoes can even prevent the formation of cancer cells in the mouth, esophagus, intestines and lungs;
- Slimming people can’t do without yam! The vegetable is rich in fiber, so it quickly saturates the body without harm to the figure. Complex carbohydrates are broken down into sugars and absorbed into the blood, so that a person feels full for a long time. And the low calorie content of the vegetable allows those who want to lose extra pounds to maximize the use of sweet potato in their diet;
- Potassium, which is rich in the product, favorably affects the functioning of the brain and nervous system. Doctors recommend adding a vegetable to the diet for those who suffer stress, suffer from chronic fatigue, insomnia, and neurosis;
- Beneficial effects on the stomach. The beneficial properties of sweet potato do not bypass the stomach, as they are an excellent prevention of ulcers, gastritis and other diseases;
- Sweet potato is also indispensable for young, radiant skin. Beta-carotene, which is part of the composition, has anti-aging properties and fights the first signs of aging;
- It is recommended that sweet potatoes be added to the diet for diabetics. Sweet potato is a product with a low glycemic index, it does not cause a sharp jump in blood sugar;
- Favorably affects blood coagulation. This property of the vegetable is vital, yam contributes to the speedy healing of wounds and prevents excessive loss of blood in case of injury;
- Very useful in the prevention of arthritis;
- It does not hurt to use sweet potatoes in smokers ’diet. Smoke from cigarettes provokes the loss of vitamin A in the body, which is the main cause of emphysema. Just the consumption of this vegetable in food can protect not only the smoker, but also the people living with him from this dangerous disease;
- For athletes and bodybuilders, sweet potatoes are also an indispensable product. People who are serious about building muscle include this vegetable on their menu just because it consists of complex carbohydrates, which are responsible for muscle nutrition. Trainers recommend eating sweet potato 90 minutes before training. The properties of the vegetable can relieve muscle pain and cramping after heavy exercise.
Doctors also recommend adding sweet potato to the diet for women who are experiencing a menopause, as well as those who have eye problems, as well as with frequent colds and reduced immunity. There is a huge gap between the useful and harmful properties of sweet potato, since the vegetable has very few contraindications.
The harm and contraindications of "sweet potato"
Sweet potato is not only eaten, preparations are also prepared from it. For example, fresh root powder or medicinal tinctures. Both those and others are strictly contraindicated in the following cases:
- In the presence of a duodenal ulcer;
- Diverticulosis and diverticulitis;
- Ulcerative colitis;
- Sweet potato should also be carefully eaten by pregnant women so as not to harm the body;
- Excessive consumption of sweet potatoes in food can provoke crystallization of the stone in the kidneys and gall bladder due to the oxalates contained in the product;
In other cases, sweet potato will only bring benefits to the body and will have a positive effect on health. The beneficial properties and contraindications of sweet potato are to some extent related.
Interesting Facts
This vegetable, popular all over the world, in addition to its extremely usefulness, has specific characteristics inherent only to it;
- In 1595, Thomas Muffet conducted research and expressed their results in his work “On Improving Health”, which clearly described the ability of the sweet potato to increase libido. This is explained by the fact that the composition of the vegetable includes a natural female hormone. That is why sweet potatoes are recommended to be eaten by ladies of menopause;
- Americans love yam with orange flesh, and Asians prefer purple;
- It is impossible to describe the taste of sweet potato, because depending on the type, it may resemble, for example, a banana with a nut, pumpkin, zucchini and even chestnut;
- Sweet potato is a multifunctional vegetable, it can not only be eaten, but processed into sugar, flour, molasses and even alcohol. People collect not only tubers, but also stems and young leaves. They are boiled, soaked, and then added to salads, and the seeds are used even as a substitute for coffee!
The versatility of sweet potato knows no boundaries, you can use a vegetable almost everywhere, and in cooking it is an indispensable ingredient.