Sweet potato nutrition facts

Sweet potato, not only is just sweet to your taste buds but also good for your cardiovascular health. This starchy root vegetable is rich source of flavonoid anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber that are essential for optimal health. Botanically, this starch-rich tuber belongs to the family of Convolvulaceae, and named botanically as Ipomoea batatas. It is grown throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions. The crop requires just sufficient water and attention for their cultivation. The tuberous root features oblong/elongated shape with tapering ends and has smooth outer skin whose color ranges from red, purple, brown, and white, depending up on the variety. Sweet potatoes should not be confused with yams, another starchy root commonly grown in Western Africa. Yams are indeed larger in size that can grow up to 120 pounds in weight and 2 meters in length. Yams are the tropical crops and never grow where the temperature dips below 68 degrees F. Important differentiating features that distinguish sweet potatoes from yams are:

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are dicotyledonous, relatively smaller and possess very thin peel. Whereas, yams are monocotyledons, larger, features thick, rough, dark brown to pink skin depending up on the cultivar type.

Internally, it has starchy flesh which, depending upon the pigment concentration, ranges from white through yellow, orange, and purple. Boniatos, also known as Cuban sweet-potatoes, feature dry, starchy flesh underneath the reddishbrown skin. They have mildly sweet flavor and coked in a similar way like potatoes. Sweet potato leaves (top greens) are also edible. In fact, the greens contain more nutrients and dietary fiber than some of the green-leafy vegetables.

Health benefits of Sweet potato

Sweet potato is one of the average calorie starch foods (provide just 90 calories/100 g vs. 70 calories/100 g of potato). The tuber, however, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol and is rich source of dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Its calorie content mainly comes from starch, a complex carbohydrate. Sweet potato has higher amylose to the amylopectin ratio than potato. Amylose raises the blood sugar levels slowly on comparison to simple sugars and therefore, recommended as a healthy food supplement even in diabetes. The tuber is an excellent source of flavonoid phenolic compounds such as beta-carotene and vitamin A (100 g tuber provides 14187 IU of vitamin A and 8509 g of -carotene). The value is one of the highest among the root-vegetables categories. These compounds are powerful natural antioxidants. Vitamin A is also required by the body to maintain integrity of healthy mucus membranes and skin. It is a vital nutrient for acuity of vision. Consumption of natural vegetables and fruits rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers. The total antioxidant strength of raw sweet potato measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) is 902 mol TE/100 g.

The tubers are packed with many essential vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), and thiamin (vitamin B-1), niacin, and riboflavin. These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish. These vitamins function as co-factors for various enzymes during metabolism. Sweet potato provides a good amount of vital minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium that are very essential for enzyme, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism. Sweet potato leaves are indeed more nutritious than the tuber itself. Weight per weight, 100 g of fresh leaves contain more iron, vitamin C, folates, vitamin K, and potassium but less sodium than the tuber.

See the table below for in depth analysis of nutrients: Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas), raw, Nutrition value per 100 g. (Source: USDA National Nutrient data base) Nutrient Value
86 Kcal

Principle

Percentage of RDA
4%

Energy

Carbohydrates

20.12 g

15.5%

Protein

1.6 g

3%

Total Fat

0.05 g

<0.5%

Cholesterol

0 mg

0%

Dietary Fiber

3g

8%

Vitamins
Folates 11 g 3%

Niacin

0.557 mg

3.5%

Pantothenic acid

0.80 mg

16%

Pyridoxine

0.209 mg

15%

Riboflavin

0.061 mg

5.5%

Thiamin

0.078 mg

6.5%

Vitamin A

14187 IU

473%

Vitamin C

2.4 mg

4%

Vitamin E

0.26 mg

2%

Vitamin K

1.8 g

1.5%

Electrolytes

Sodium

55 mg

3.5%

Potassium

337 mg

7%

Minerals
Calcium 30 mg 3%

Iron

0.61 mg

7.5%

Magnesium

25 mg

6%

Manganese

0.258 mg

11%

Phosphorus

47 mg

7%

Zinc

0.30 mg

3%

Phyto-nutrients
Carotene- 7 g --

Carotene-

8509 g

--

Crypto-xanthin-

0 g

--

Selection and storage

Sweet potatoes in a market.

Although sweet potato leaves are being eaten in some parts of the world, the root that is the toast of sweet potato lovers. In the store, buy fresh tubers with intact smooth skin and firm to woody consistency. Go for organic varieties for best taste and nutrition levels. Avoid soft, flabby, or wilted roots. As in potatoes, sprouting would make them lose flavor and less desirable. Wash them in clean running water to remove sand and soil. They should be stored in a cool, dark, and well-ventilated place.

Preparation and serving methods

To prepare, wash the root in cold water. It can be eaten raw with skin. However, for baking preparations, its skin may be peeled off before or after cooked.

Here are some serving tips:

Fresh sweet potatoes can be eaten raw. Baking in water with a pinch of salt would give rich taste to them. Peel the skin before eating. Camote, sweet potato known in the Latin world, is used extensively in the Mexican cuisine. Camote cue, where in the tuber deep-fried and caramelized with brown sugar, is a popular street food in the Philippines. It sweet flesh used in soups, curries, stews, and in confectionary to make cakes, pie...etc. The tuber also used to prepare different kinds of baby foods. Sweet potato chips are enjoyed as favorite snacks.

Safety profile
Sweet potatoes contain oxalic acid, a naturally occurring substance found in some vegetables that may crystallize as oxalate stones in the urinary tract in some people. It is, therefore, individuals with known history of oxalate urinary tract stones may have to avoid eating them. Adequate intake of water is therefore advised to maintain normal urine output in these individuals to minimize stone risk.