The Sweet news, on Sweet Potatoes

People who know me, know I hate eating rice.

I just don’t like the taste of it, and it seems like a waste of space.

However, since I have been running so often these days (in the region of 10KM on weekdays – 16KM weekend runs), I had to find an alternative. What I found was that potatoes make terrific substitutes. Researching deeper into my new energy boosting diet, I found the sweet potato. I had no clue, that sweet potatoes are actually a completely different vegetable than regular potatoes – did you know? They are not even in the same botanical family. The potato’s scientific name, Solanum tuberosum reflects that it belongs to the Solanaceae family whose other members include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos. The sweet potato, on the other hand, belongs to the Convolvulaceae plant family and is known by the scientific name of Ipomoea batatas. The well-known flower called “Morning Glory” belongs to the same botanical family as the sweet potato. Wow.. news to me really!

photo credit – IITA

Sweet potatoes offer a host of nutrients and an impressive array of antioxidants. Even the Mayo Clinic recommend them because of their high nutritional value and lower starch content. Sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A, shown in studies to slow the aging process and reduce the risk of some cancers. Sweet potatoes are also high in fiber, folate, potassium and other vitamins.

The “sweet” part of the sweet potato is what fascinates me, because it is in fact, less sweet, than regular potatoes. Usually when one food tastes sweeter than another, it’s because it contains more sugar, which also gives it the potential to make our blood sugar less stable. With sweet versus regular potatoes, it’s exactly the opposite. Sweet potatoes do not make our blood sugar shoot up, as much as regular potatoes, because they are twice as high in dietary fiber. And this is why nutritionists will tell you that sweet potatoes have a high glycemic index and are beneficial for diabetics. Well nutrition aside, I just love it because it tastes less starchy than white potatoes, but still gives you a great energy boost. Not only that, it doesn’t take a genius to prepare it, which makes it perfect for me. Just steam them up, and you are good to go. Oh, and I have tested them out -they do seem to make me run faster!