If you ever come down to the IQS office for lunch, you can bet that at least one of the team will be roasting sweet potato. It’s a daily ritual.
Why? Well, apart from the irrefutable fact that sweet potatoes are delicious, these super-starches are much more nutritious than their white counterparts (sorry, white potatoes).
And even though they’re a little, well, sweet, they’re a-okay on our 8-Week Program (and even feature in some of the recipes). Here’s why.
One cup of sweet potato contains 214 per cent of your daily vitamin A needs!
Sweet potatoes are extremely rich in vitamin A, particularly carotenoids (the pigments that give it its vibrant colour). These compounds have been shown to protect against various types of cancers.
Want sparkling eyes and smooth skin? Carotenoids also convert into a form of vitamin A called retinol, which plays a crucial role in both eye and skin health. Note: vitamin A is fat-soluble, so you’ll have to eat it with fat for it to absorb properly. That’s right, cover those spuds in butter!
Not to mention the other nutrients…
Just one cup of baked sweet potato contains:
- 52 per cent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C
- 50 per cent of your manganese intake
- 36 per cent of your copper intake
- 34 per cent of your vitamin B6 intake
- 27 per cent of your potassium intake
- 26 per cent of your fibre intake.
Who needs a multivitamin?!
Sweet potatoes are also the perfect sugar craving buster.
Sweet potatoes have a bit of a “sweet” reputation. But don’t worry, one medium baked sweet potato contains less than two teaspoons of sugar, and most of that is glucose not fructose (the stuff we’re trying to avoid). Sweet potatoes also contain a lot of fibre to fill you up (when was the last you ate a whole one?).
All in all, this veg is a great one to turn to when you have a sweet craving. We love to coat them in coconut oil and cinnamon and baked them in the oven – instant dessert!
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