Sweet Potatoes 101 - Why & How to Add This Superfood to Your Diet

by Rebecca Jacobs

Sweet potatoes are a paleo-dieters go-to when craving something carb-heavy yet healthy.

They are also a great substitute for regular old white potatoes as they are incredibly nutrient-dense and pack in three grams of fiber per 3.5-ounce serving.

Sweet potatoes happen to be one of the best complex carbohydrate-rich foods to add to your diet, which we talk more about in our post all about macronutrients here.

Not only are sweet potatoes nutritious, but they are delicious, and they make a wonderful addition to a well-balanced diet.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about sweet potatoes, plus some recipes to help you get started with adding this orange veggie into your diet.

What are Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet potatoes are an underground root veggie, aka tuber, and are actually quite different from white potatoes. They are part of the morning glory plant family, and they are native to South as well as Central America.

And, while the most commonly enjoyed sweet potato is the standard orange kind you find at your local grocery store, you may also find purple sweet potatoes as well as yellow, red, and pink varieties.

Are Sweet Potatoes a Vegetable?

Many people wonder if they can count a sweet potato towards their daily vegetable intake, and the answer is yes, sweet potatoes are considered a vegetable. In fact, as we talked about before, they are a root vegetable that are available at your local grocery store year-round, allowing them to be a regular part of your diet.  

Sweet Potato Fast Facts

• • Shockingly enough, sweet potatoes may have been enjoyed millions of years ago! Evidence has found that the morning glory plant family, originated in North America 35 million years ago.
  • While research has always pointed to sweet potatoes originating in America, new research is now looking at the possibility that they may have been around in Asia first, possibly even 52 million years ago.

Sweet Potato vs. Yams

A common misconception is that sweet potatoes and yams are the same thing and that the term can be used interchangeably. However, they are quite different. For one, sweet potatoes and yams come from two different plant families.

While sweet potatoes come from the morning glory plant family, yams are related to lilies as well as grasses and originated in Asia and Africa.

Sweet potatoes also have a smoother outer skin than yams. Another big difference is that you can find sweet potatoes in any local grocery store, but true yams can really only be found at specialty stores that carry international foods.

One of the most impressive health benefits of sweet potatoes is their rich antioxidant content. Antioxidants like carotenoids are abundantly found in sweet potatoes, which have been linked to a reduced risk of cancer.

Since one sweet potato is enough to satisfy your daily recommended vitamin A requirements, regular sweet potato consumption is a great way to help prevent vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency happens to be the leading cause of preventable blindness in children, and can lead to night blindness in pregnant women. Not getting enough vitamin A can also negatively affect the immune system, increasing your risk of illness.

High blood pressure is a silent killer as it’s a huge risk factor for cardiovascular disease and the foods you eat play a big role in managing blood pressure. Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium and magnesium, both of which are beneficial for heart health. If you have high blood pressure, pass on the salt, and choose other fresh herbs and spices like rosemary and garlic when cooking your sweet potatoes.

Due to sweet potatoes rich fiber content, they happen to be an excellent vegetable choice for gut health. Getting enough fiber in your diet helps to prevent constipation by keeping bowel movements regular. A fiber-rich diet is also important for feeding the healthy bacteria in the gut to help aid digestion and keep pathogenic bacteria at bay.

This root vegetable happens to be an excellent source of vitamin C, an important vitamin for supporting a strong immune system. In one medium sweet potato, you can pack in approximately 30% of your daily recommended intake. So, load up on sweet potatoes during cold and flu season to keep your immune system in tip-top shape.

Sweet potatoes are rich in choline and manganese, two nutrients that are essential for brain health. Purple sweet potatoes are also rich in anthocyanins, which are what give these potatoes that beautiful purple color. These anthocyanins have also been known to hold memory-boosting benefits.

One of the most talked about health benefits of sweet potatoes happens to be their ability to help support healthy vision. Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene, which can then be converted to vitamin A, which is essential for vision health. Sweet potatoes are such an amazing source of vitamin A that a 3.5-ounce serving is enough to satisfy the recommended daily amount of vitamin A.

For an added bonus, try adding some healthy fat to your sweet potato to increase the absorption of this fat-soluble vitamin. Try drizzling some melted coconut, olive, or avocado oil over your cubed sweet potato, or serve with some grass-fed ghee.

Sweet Potato Nutrition

This nutrient-dense vegetable is an excellent source of potassium, magnesium, b-vitamins, and dietary fiber. And, while they are a carb-heavy vegetable, the fiber content helps to slow the release of those carbs to help prevent a sudden blood sugar spike.

In addition to being a rich source of vitamins and minerals, sweet potatoes also contain an impressive amount of protein for a vegetable offering about two grams of plant-based protein per one medium sweet potato.