Sweet potato skin#
Sweet potato full#
Sweet potato free#

Sweet potato full#

Include some healthy fat in meals containing sweet potatoes to gain the full antioxidant benefits of beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes can be boiled, baked or roasted and can be found canned or frozen. Steaming sweet potatoes will help retain most nutrients. They can be peeled before cooking with a vegetable peeler or after cooking by cutting them open and scooping out the flesh. Sweet potatoes should be washed and scrubbed before preparing. Do not refrigerate as this negatively affects the flavor. They should be loose or in a paper bag with holes, not in a plastic bag. Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dark, well-ventilated area for up to 10 days. Look for firm sweet potatoes without cracks, bruises or soft spots, and avoid ones that are wrinkled, sticky or sprouting. Pleasantly sweet, this tuber is good for grating and roasting.

Sweet potato skin#

O’Henry sweet potatoes are uniform in size and shape with smooth, thin skin and creamy, white flesh. The flesh is dense and fibrous with a delicate, sweet taste, making it ideal for pies. Hayman sweet potatoes are smaller than the other varieties with tan and oddly-shaped bumps. This variety stays firm after being cooked and has a mild, nutty flavor. Speckled purple sweet potatoes have reddish-purple skin and bright magenta flesh with white speckles. Popular in Japan and Hawaii, this variety is good for boiling and roasting. Okinawan sweet potatoes have beige skin and slightly sweet, vibrant-purple flesh with a dense, starchy texture. This variety has an earthy flavor and is good for mashed potatoes. Garnet sweet potatoes are slender and cylindrical, tapering at the ends with a rough skin and golden-orange flesh with a loose, watery texture. Buttery with a subtle sweetness, this variety is good for biscuits and mashed potatoes. It also promotes healing and coping with stress.īeauregard sweet potatoes are the most popular variety and are uniform in size and shape with smooth skin and deep-orange flesh. This vitamin protects against infectious agents by strengthening the immune system. Sweet potatoes contain 65 percent of the daily recommended value of vitamin C.

Sweet potato free#

The antioxidant properties of vitamin A combat free radicals that can damage the skin.

One serving of sweet potatoes provides 769 percent of the daily recommended value of vitamin A, which is essential for healthy eyes, bones and teeth. Orange-colored flesh contains beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A, and purple-colored flesh includes anthocyanin, which helps improve memory and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Phytochemicals are powerful antioxidants that help protect against cellular damage and are the natural pigments that give sweet potato flesh its color. They also support memory function and coordination. Sweet potatoes are high in nutrients that have antioxidant properties, which protect against free radicals that cause aging, cancer and disease. Values from based on sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, without salt, 200 grams Antioxidants The sweet potatoes grown in the Northern region of the United States are the pale and dry-fleshed variety. Within the United States, more than half the production is from Southern states, especially North Carolina. Today, China is the largest producer, followed by Africa, Central and South America and the United States.

Sweet potatoes quickly spread across Europe and were brought to other parts of the world in the 16th century by Spanish and Portuguese explorers. Christopher Columbus brought the tuber to Europe after his trip to the New World in 1492. Sweet potatoes are native to Central and South America with evidence dating back 10,000 years. Sweet potatoes are available year-round with a peak season in winter. The darker sweet potato has thicker skin with dark-orange to purple flesh and has a sweeter, softer and moister texture. The pale sweet potato has light-colored beige skin with light-yellow flesh and has a firm, dry and crumbly texture that is not as sweet. Sweet potatoes are grouped into two categories based on texture when cooked.

They need time to rest and develop their sweetness. Sweet potatoes are not very sweet when they have first been harvested. Tubers grow underground and contain the plant’s nutrient reserves. Part of the morning glory family, the sweet potato is a large, edible tuber that grows in warm, tropical conditions.