It's taken me forever to write this post because sweet potatoes confuse me. Whenever I see a dish or product made with sweet potatoes, the implication seems to be that they are so much healthier than white potatoes. So when I saw this chart of nutrition facts, I was really surprised to see the carb count. Fifty eight grams! I've seen iced cinnamon buns at WaWa with fewer carbs than that!At this point, I was starting to wonder about eating sweet potatoes. They must be murder on blood sugar, right? Well, as it turns out, your blood sugar will rise about 30% less when you eat sweet potatoes vs. regular potatoes, due to their higher fiber content.
Of course I can't overlook the most obvious fact about sweet potatoes: their color. The flesh of a sweet potato is a lovely, vibrant orange as opposed to the white flesh of a regular potato, and by now we all know what that means: Antioxidants! Vitamin C! Beta carotene! It's good to know that the sweet 'tater fries I've been eating do have some redeeming qualities after all!
For further information check out the very good articles at both Livestrong and Worlds Healthiest Foods.
3 comments:
I like them baked- with butter. They are good in the microwave (much better than what I was brought to call Irish potatoes in the microwave) but they are REALLY good baked in the real oven, if you have time.
I need to try them roasted. Have you all done that yet?
Linda
By the way, we got collards the other week, or as I was brought to say, Collard Greens. I had fixed them in stirfrys before and thrown them in soup. I had even brought packages of frozen chopped collards--but, never, the real thing. Well, I did it--all the way from washing real good to cutting the stems and center ribs off and throwing them away to ripping the big leaves in pieces and putting them in some broth that had simmered a ham bone for an hour, plus onion, garlic and some Tabasco (I think I overdid it a bit there) and cooking until done - 45 minutes, an hour, who knows- one of those rare days when I had a long free afternoon. Served with rice ( and tomatoes and okra) super delicious. I bet vegetable broth might do- if you ever want to try.
Linda
Linda,
You're making me want a New Orleans gumbo.
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