Winter is a time to enjoy a fragrant roasted sweet potato while walking down the street, a small pleasure for many people. Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious, rich in dietary fiber, vitamin B6, and potassium, and can stimulate the intestines to promote bowel movements.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Experts point out that for people with weak spleen and stomach, eating sweet potatoes in winter can strengthen the spleen and kidneys. However, those who are fasting or have a poor stomach should not eat them. The daily intake of sweet potatoes should not exceed three *liang* (150 grams). Eating sweet potatoes with black spots or those that are burnt may cause poisoning.
It's best to eat sweet potatoes at noon
According to Yang Xiaojun, Chief Physician of the Gastroenterology Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, sweet potatoes are more common in winter. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, sweet potatoes are considered sweet in nature and neutral, acting on the spleen and stomach meridians. They can tonify the spleen and stomach, replenish Qi, and widen the intestines. For those with a weak spleen and stomach, eating sweet potatoes can strengthen the spleen and kidneys. The winter weather is dry, and some ancient texts also record that eating raw sweet potatoes can promote the production of body fluids to quench thirst, which is why it's said that winter is a more suitable time to eat them.
In terms of the time of day, it's best to eat sweet potatoes at noon. Because after eating sweet potatoes, the body needs several hours to absorb them. If you eat them at night, the sugar content is high, and the body cannot absorb it all at once, which can easily lead to bloating.
Do not eat sweet potatoes with sweets
Sweet potatoes are high in sugar. Eating them on an empty stomach can produce a large amount of stomach acid. When there is too much stomach acid, it can irritate the gastric mucosa and cause acid reflux, giving people a burning sensation. Sweet potatoes also contain an oxidase that produces a large amount of carbon dioxide gas in the gastrointestinal tract, which can easily cause symptoms such as bloating and belching.
People with conditions such as gastric ulcers and bloating should especially avoid eating sweet potatoes. The sugar in sweet potatoes produces a large amount of stomach acid, increasing pressure inside the stomach. For those with a weak stomach, this can irritate the ulcer surface or gastric mucosa, leading to stomach discomfort. Furthermore, sweet potatoes cannot be eaten with very sweet things. Because sweet potatoes are sweet themselves, eating them with other sweets can increase the likelihood of gastroesophageal reflux.
Do not eat the skin of roasted sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes contain a lot of fiber and starch. Eating too much can lead to symptoms like bloating and belching, but eating them in moderation can stimulate the intestines and promote bowel movements.
Chief Physician Yang Xiaojun also emphasized that it's best not to eat the skin of roasted sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes contaminated by black spot fungus are difficult to identify after roasting. Therefore, sweet potatoes with black spots or those that are burnt should not be eaten, as they may cause poisoning. Moreover, street-side roasted sweet potatoes are baked with coal, and when coal burns, it produces large amounts of harmful substances such as sulfur dioxide. Eating too many street-side roasted sweet potatoes is detrimental to health.
Tips
What to do if you eat too many sweet potatoes
Under normal circumstances, healthy people should not eat more than three *liang* (150 grams) of sweet potatoes per day. Diabetics should eat fewer sweet potatoes according to their condition.
If eating too many sweet potatoes leads to bloating, you can take some medications like compound digestive enzyme capsules, Domperidone, or Mosapride. You can also drink malt water or "Jiao San Xian" (a traditional Chinese herbal remedy) to strengthen the spleen and whet the appetite, and to aid digestion and resolve food stagnation.
Roast potatoes