Sweet potatoes, also known as yams or tubers, contain a variety of vitamins and minerals needed by the human body. They are highly nutritious and were named the number one vegetable on the "Top Ten Best Vegetables" list by the World Health Organization. However, there is a science to when is the best time to eat sweet potatoes for your health.
Roasted Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes must be steamed or cooked thoroughly before eating because the starch granules in them are difficult to digest without being broken down by high heat. Sweet potatoes lack protein and fat, so they should be eaten with vegetables, fruits, and protein-rich foods to avoid nutritional imbalance. Most importantly, it is best to eat sweet potatoes during the golden mealtime, which is lunch. This is because the calcium in sweet potatoes takes 4-5 hours to be absorbed by the body, and the afternoon sunlight can help promote this absorption. By eating sweet potatoes at lunch, the calcium can be fully absorbed before dinner, thus not interfering with the absorption of calcium from other foods consumed at dinner.