Top 10 Health Benefits Of Sweet Potatoes

Bored of eating the regular potato in every dish? Then, why don’t you try sweet potatoes? Healthier and tastier than potatoes, sweet potatoes offer a plethora of health benefits too. The wide list of sweet potato benefits makes it an ideal food for your digestion, weight, hair, skin, eyes, and immunity. Rich in Vitamin A, potassium, fibre, and antioxidants, sweet potatoes hail for their perfect nutrition.

Let us dig deeper to understand all about sweet potato nutrition and the benefits of eating sweet potato.

Sweet Potatoes Nutritional Value

Let us learn about sweet potato nutritional facts. Following are the nutrition found in one large sweet potato:

• Sweet Potato Calories: 160
• Carbohydrates: 35 g
• Sugar: 5.5 g
• Fibre: 4 g
• Sweet Potato Protein: 3.6 g
• Fat: 0.1 g
• Potassium: 850 mg
• Sodium: 70 mg
• Vitamin C: 35 mg
• Vitamin A: 1730 mcg

Besides, iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, thiamine, magnesium, and Vitamin B are also part of sweet potato nutrition.

10 Incredible Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

The list of sweet potato health benefits is endless, but here we will acquaint you with the top 10 health benefits of sweet potato are given below:

1. Boosts Immunity

One of the prime sweet potato benefits is that it helps in boosting your immunity. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient to enhance the immunity of our body. Sweet potatoes are rich in all those nutrients that help to increase the overall immunity of the body.

2. Cures Inflammation in the Body

Possessing high anti-inflammatory properties, sweet potatoes help reduce inflammation in the body. Whether you know it or not, inflammation is the root cause of several health issues. So, eating sweet potatoes is a sure-shot remedy to cure inflammation and prevent several health disorders. 

3. Good for a Healthy Vision

Those who include sweet potatoes in their diet regularly will eliminate the chances of suffering from eye disorders like macular degeneration. Sweet potatoes are an ultimate source of Vitamin A, therefore this fruit helps in making your vision healthy. 

4. Good for Brain Function

Eating sweet potatoes helps improve the function of the brain. This sweet fruit is loaded with anthocyanins, which help to enhance the learning and memory processes of the brain. 

5. Promotes Weight Loss

The list of sweet potato health benefits doesn’t end here. This delicious root is also helpful in losing weight. It is full of fibre and helps to make you feel fuller longer. Besides, the resistant starch present in sweet potatoes helps to burn fat if you eat this root after a meal.

6. Good for Skin and Hair

Eating sweet potatoes is equally good for your skin and hair. It is a rich source of Vitamin A and C. Vitamin C, in particular, helps to enhance the production of collagen, and protein in skin and hair. As a result, sweet potatoes help prevent aging.

7. Helps Regulates Blood Pressure Levels

Sweet potatoes being a rich source of potassium and sodium, help to regulate high blood pressure levels. The potassium present in sweet potatoes is twice the amount present in a banana. Eating sweet potatoes helps to lower your blood pressure. 

8. Aids in Digestion

Sweet potatoes are miraculous to deal with your digestion issues. It contains both soluble as well as insoluble fibre. Both these types of fibres help in improving your gut health. 

9. Regulates Diabetes

Sweet potatoes, as the name suggests are sweet. This may be a matter of worry for those suffering from diabetes. However, eating sweet potatoes help in regulating the insulin levels in the body. A particular sweet potato with white skin, called Caiapo, is very effective for people with type-2 diabetes. 

10. Eat Sweet Potato to Keep Cancer at Bay

You can also rely on this superfood called sweet potato to keep the risk of cancer at bay. The presence of anthocyanins in sweet potatoes help to prevent the cancerous cells in the breast, stomach, bladder, and colon. 

Sweet Potatoes Side Effects

Now, after having a fair knowledge about the sweet potato benefits, it is time we enlighten you with some of its rare side effects.

• May lead to kidney failure
• May put you at risk of heart diseases
• May spike up blood sugar levels
• May cause stomach issues
• May lead to Vitamin A toxicity
• May cause kidney stones

The Bottom Line

To enjoy all the above-mentioned sweet potato benefits, try to eat fresh sweet potatoes, which are hard and free of bruises. Try not to store them in the refrigerator, but in a cool and dark place. Make sure to wash them properly, because these grow as a root and are covered with a lot of soil.