Don't underestimate the humble sweet potato; it's actually ranked as the champion among the thirteen best vegetables by the World Health Organization! As a unique health food, the nutritional value of sweet potatoes has been widely acclaimed in recent years.
The sweet potato, scientifically known as *Ipomoea batatas*, is also known by names such as white potato, yam, mountain potato, groundnut, and red potato. In fact, while widely cultivated and consumed in China, the sweet potato's homeland is distant South America, and it was only introduced to China from the Philippines by overseas Chinese from Fujian at the end of the 16th century. Once introduced, the sweet potato was widely promoted for its ease of cultivation, high yield, and delicious taste. Especially during years of famine, the unassuming sweet potato was a true treasure for relieving hunger and saving lives.
Currently, there are many varieties of sweet potatoes in China, differing in shape, skin color, and flesh color, which can be yellow, apricot-yellow, or purplish-red, and their flavors also vary.
Sweet potatoes are sweet and rich in carbohydrates, dietary fiber, carotene, various vitamins, and multiple minerals such as potassium, magnesium, copper, selenium, and calcium. The protein in sweet potatoes is of high quality and can compensate for nutritional deficiencies in rice and white flour. Regular consumption can improve the body's utilization of nutrients in staple foods. Especially, sweet potatoes are rich in lysine, which is precisely what rice and flour lack. Therefore, eating sweet potatoes with rice and flour can exert a complementary effect on proteins, enhancing their nutritional value. Sweet potatoes have anti-cancer properties.
The nutrients with the most potent anti-cancer effects in the diet—beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A), vitamin C, and folic acid—are relatively abundant in sweet potatoes. A 100-gram small sweet potato can provide twice the daily human requirement of vitamin A, one-third of the daily requirement of vitamin C, and about 50 micrograms of folic acid. Sweet potatoes are also very rich in dietary fiber, and high fiber content promotes gastrointestinal motility, preventing constipation and colon and rectal cancer. Sweet potatoes also contain a unique ingredient that both prevents cancer and promotes longevity. It is a steroid similar to hormones secreted by the adrenal glands, which can effectively inhibit the occurrence of breast and colon cancer. Sweet potatoes are good for the heart.
The components rich in sweet potatoes, such as potassium, carotene, folic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin B6, all help prevent cardiovascular diseases. Potassium helps maintain the balance of body fluids and electrolytes in cells, maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Carotene and vitamin C have anti-lipid oxidation effects, preventing atherosclerosis. Folic acid and vitamin B6 help reduce harmful substances in the blood that damage arterial blood vessels, thus protecting the heart. Sweet potatoes have anti-diabetic effects.
This effect of sweet potatoes is somewhat unexpected because they are sweet. Why can they also fight diabetes? In fact, researchers found in a clinical study that after taking an extract from white sweet potatoes, insulin sensitivity improved in patients with type 2 diabetes, which helps control blood sugar. Eating sweet potatoes can also lower levels of triglycerides and free fatty acids. These results suggest that sweet potatoes have a certain effect on diabetic patients.
It should be noted that when diabetics eat sweet potatoes, they should pay attention to the "equivalent replacement" principle. Generally, the sugar content and calories of sweet potatoes are one-third of that of an equivalent amount of rice or flour. So, if you plan to eat 150 grams of sweet potatoes, you must reduce your intake of rice or flour by 50 grams. Moreover, the intake of sweet potatoes should also be controlled; a meal's staple food should not consist entirely of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes can also aid in weight loss and beauty.
Sweet potatoes are low in calories and quite filling, making them an excellent weight-loss food, whether as a staple or a side dish. Their calorie count is only one-third that of an equivalent amount of rice, they contain almost no fat or cholesterol, and they are rich in fiber and pectin, which have the special function of preventing sugar from being converted into fat, so you don't have to worry about gaining weight after eating them. Nutritionists call sweet potatoes the most balanced health food and also the most ideal and inexpensive weight-loss food.
Sweet potatoes also contain a substance similar to estrogen, which has a certain effect on protecting human skin and delaying aging.
It is especially important to emphasize that, like many fruits and green vegetables, sweet potatoes are an alkaline food. The body's fluids are slightly alkaline, so eating sweet potatoes is beneficial to the body's acid-base balance, helping to prevent "sub-health" and modern diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Eating sweet potatoes: Three Dos and Three Don'ts.
Three Dos:
1. It is advisable to extend the steaming or cooking time to reduce discomfort after eating, such as bloating, heartburn, belching, nausea, and gas.
2. It is advisable to eat sweet potatoes with other foods like rice and flour to achieve a complementary effect on proteins.
3. It is advisable to eat sweet potatoes with pickled vegetables to reduce the production of stomach acid.
Three Don'ts:
1. Do not eat them raw or in excessive amounts. The starch in raw sweet potatoes is difficult to digest and absorb. Sweet potatoes contain an oxidase enzyme that can easily produce large amounts of gas in the human gastrointestinal tract. If you eat too many sweet potatoes, you may experience bloating, belching, and flatulence. At the same time, sweet potatoes are high in sugar, and eating too many can produce a large amount of stomach acid, leading to "heartburn" symptoms, and even acid reflux (vomiting sour water). Therefore, patients with gastric ulcers and excessive stomach acid should not eat them.
2. Do not eat sweet potatoes with black spots, as they may cause poisoning.
3. Do not consume excessive amounts of foods made from sweet potato starch, such as vermicelli. Root vegetables like sweet potatoes contain a large amount of starch and can be processed into vermicelli for consumption, but the production process often adds alum. Excessive consumption can lead to an accumulation of aluminum in the body, which is detrimental to health.
Special Sweet Potato Recipes
Sweet potatoes can be used as a staple food or a vegetable, with numerous cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, frying, and pan-frying. With careful preparation, the humble sweet potato can become a delicacy on the dinner table.
Sweet Potato and Fruit Pudding
Peel and wash the sweet potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Peel and dice fruits such as apples, pears, bananas, kiwis, pineapples, and oranges and set aside. Put water in a pot, first cook the sweet potatoes until tender, then add the fruit dice and sprinkle some sweet osmanthus sugar. The taste is sweet and fragrant, and it is nutritious.
Stir-fried Sweet Potato Shreds with Vinegar
Wash and peel the sweet potatoes, then cut them into shreds and rinse with cold water. Slice the scallions and ginger thinly and set aside. Heat vegetable oil in a wok until it's very hot, add the scallion and ginger shreds until fragrant, then add the sweet potato shreds and stir-fry for a few seconds. Quickly add a suitable amount of white vinegar and fine salt, and stir-fry until the flavors are absorbed. This dish combines sour, sweet, and crispy flavors, whetting the appetite.
Honey-glazed Sweet Potatoes
Wash and peel the sweet potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. First, add a little oil to a pan, and when it's slightly hot, stir-fry the sweet potatoes briefly. Then, add a bowl of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer until they are soft and tender. Remove from the heat when the liquid has reduced but not burned. Place on a plate. Then, add some boiling water to the pan, add sugar, honey, and sweet osmanthus paste, and cook to make a honey glaze. Pour the glaze over the sweet potatoes to make a sweet, fragrant, and delicious honey-glazed sweet potato.
Sweet Potato, Corn, and Red Bean Porridge
Peel and wash the sweet potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Wash the red beans, corn kernels, and glutinous rice. Use a stainless steel pot to add water and cook over low heat until the mixture is about 80% done. Add the sweet potato cubes and cook for another 20 minutes. Thicken with a starch slurry (of appropriate consistency). Just before eating, add a tablespoon of sweet osmanthus sugar. This is a sweet and fragrant dessert suitable for everyone.
Little tip: Diabetics are not suitable for the above recipes; use other sweeteners instead of sugar.
Steamed Sweet Potato Dumplings
Ingredients: 500g sweet potatoes, 150g cheese powder, 500g pork, 100g fresh bamboo shoots, appropriate amounts of light soy sauce, white pepper, scallions, sesame oil, salt, and ginger paste.
Method:
1. Peel and wash the sweet potatoes, cut them into thin slices, and steam them in a steamer.
2. Mash the steamed sweet potatoes into a puree, add cheese powder (cheese powder), and knead into a dough.
3. Cut the fresh bamboo shoots into small pieces, blanch in boiling water, and set aside.
4. Mince the pork. Heat a wok until it's moderately hot, add the minced pork and ginger paste and stir-fry until the meat is separated, then add the fresh bamboo shoots and other seasonings, stir-fry until cooked and flavorful, then remove from the heat.
5. Mix the cooked pork mixture with scallions to make the filling.
6. Roll the sweet potato dough into round dumpling wrappers, wrap the filling inside to form dumplings, and steam them in a steamer until cooked.
These dumplings have a light, sweet flavor from the sweet potatoes and a fresh texture.