Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Health Benefits of Sweet Potato


Health Benefits of Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato  is a tender, warm-weather vegetable. The Sweet potatoes  grows  on trailing vine. Sweet potato is native to Central and South America.
The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), commonly called a yam in parts of the United States, is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable.
Sweet potatoes are tubers, distantly related to potatoes, and are native to South America. 
They are often confusing to consumers since many sweet potatoes are labeled as yams in the US. In fact true yams, first grown in Africa, are much larger, starchier and far less sweet.
Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, can be very sweet, but sweetness depends upon the variety.
It is one of the most important food crops in tropical and subtropical countries, where both the roots and tender shoots are eaten as a vital source of nutrients.
Sweet potato is rich in Vitamin A (betacarotene) and Vitamin C. Both Vitamins A and C are powerful antioxidants that work in the body to remove free radicals, this free radicals are chemicals that damage cells. Sweet potato is good for stomach ulcers.  It is beneficial for low blood pressure.
Sweet potato may help prevent cancer in glands and organs  due to its high Vitamin A content. 
Sweet potato is a good food for diabetics, because it helped stabilize blood sugar levels.
Sweet Potato is one of the healthiest  vegetables offering an array of essential nutrients.  This root vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene which is benefits night blindness, boosts the immune system and skin), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6 and potassium.  The sweet potato is a source of  copper and iron making
it a great blood building food.
Sweet potatoes pack a nutritional punch that
is not to be missed.

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