7 REASONS TO EAT SWEET POTATOES

Source: Wikipedia

Sweet potatoes are really good for our body. It's sweet, nutritious and packed with many benefits. It is consumed by many and it's affordable by people of all class.

Some of the benefits of this sweet and cheap food include:

1. EYE HEALTH

Sweet potatoes are high in carotenoids like beta carotene and other carotenoids, which is the precursor to vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A helps strengthen our eyesight and boost our immunity to disease.

2. HEART HEALTH

Sweet potatoes are good source of potassium, which is an important electrolytes that help regulate heartbeat and nerve signals. Like the other electrolytes, potassium performs many essential functions, some of which include relaxing muscle contractions, reducing swelling, and protecting and controlling the activity of the kidneys.

3. REMOVES HOMOCYSTEINE

Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin B6 (Pyridoxal phosphate), which helps reduce the chemical homocysteine in our bodies. Homocysteine has been linked with degenerative diseases, including heart attacks.

4. SOURCE OF VITAMIN D

Sweet potatoes are also good source of vitamin D, which is essential for immune system. Vitamin D is both a hormone and a vitamin.

Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption which is good for strong and healthy bones. Vitamin D also plays an important role in our energy levels, moods, and helps to build healthy heart, nerves, skin, and it supports the thyroid gland.

5. SOURCE OF IRON

Sweet potatoes contain iron. Iron is an important mineral in the body. It plays important roles in our body, including red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, proper immune functioning, and the metabolizing of protein, among other things.

6. NATURAL SUGAR

Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet-tasting but their natural sugars are slowly released into the bloodstream, helping to ensure a balanced and regular source of energy, without the blood sugar spikes linked to fatigue and weight gain.

7. SOURCE OF VITAMIN C

Sweet potatoes are good sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is important in warding off cold and flu viruses, bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation.

Vitamin C speeds up wound healing because its role in production of collagen also collagen help to maintain skin’s youthful elasticity, and is essential to helping us cope with stress. It even appears to help protect our body against toxins that may be linked to cancer.

REFERENCE:

http://www.care2 .com/greenliving /9-reasons-to-love-sweet-potatoes.html

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