Do you remember shakarkandi from your childhood days? The sweet potato, with a pleasant creamy texture and taste that just melted right in your mouth? Sweet potato benefits are immense.
Well, I am sure you enjoyed eating sweet potatoes. Did you know that sweet potato isn’t just a snack item? Sweet potato benefits actually surpass many other vegetables and natural foods.
Now that you have all grown up, you may think ‘Is sweet potato good for health?’ I assure you the sweet in its name doesn’t imply it’s a sugar and starch bomb. In fact, it is full of minerals, fibers, and vitamins. If we look at sweet potato nutrition facts, one cup, 200 grams of baked sweet potatoes, contains:
- Calories 180 kCal
- Carbohydrates 41.4 g
- Proteins 4 grams
- Fat 0.3 grams
- Fiber 6.6 grams
- Vitamin A 769% of the Daily Value
- Vitamin C 65%
- Manganese 50%
- Vitamin B6 29%
- Potassium 27%
- Copper 16%
- Niacin 15%
Table of Contents
Sweet Potato Benefits for Health
Shakarkandi benefits your health, skin, and hair in many ways. Let’s explore together why you should add sweet potatoes in your diet.
Supports Your Immune System
Sweet potatoes are an amazing source of vitamins A and C. These vitamins work as antioxidants, which prevent your cells from the damage done by free radicals, and maintain the cells’ health.
One cup of baked sweet potato provides nearly half of your daily vitamin C needs. That’s amazing, isn’t it? The same cup also contains almost 400% of your daily needed vitamin A.
Both these vitamins are essential for your immune system. Shakarkandi is of greatest help during cold and flu season.
Keeps Your Weight in Check with Sweet Potato Benefits
Sweet potato benefits for weight loss are amazing. If you are looking for healthy weight loss, add sweet potatoes to your diet.
Dr. Ayesha Abbas, a qualified nutritionist with 10 years of experience, is of the view that weight loss happens when you have less intake of calories and a calorie deficit. That means you eat fewer calories than the energy you burn. Sweet potatoes help you in keeping your hunger pangs in check, as it promotes fullness.
Raw sweet potatoes are 77% water, and 135 fibers. They provide you with immense energy, and keep you full, with lesser calorie intake.
Regulates the Blood Sugar
Sweet potatoes have a lot of potassium.
One cup of sweet potato baked in its skin provides 950 mg of potassium. That’s more than twice the amount in a medium banana.
If you have hypertension, eat more sweet potatoes. The potassium in sweet potatoes lowers blood pressure by sweeping excessive sodium and fluid out of your body. This process normalizes the blood pressure and reduces strain on your heart.
Potassium also helps regulate heart rhythm and muscle contractions, which means it provides your heart with the health and energy it needs.
Improves Your Vision
Beta carotene, which is essential for eye health, is abundant in sweet potatoes.
A cup of sweet potatoes provides 11.3 milligrams of beta-carotene. It is known to protect your eyes against different age-related disorders e.g. macular degeneration, etc. It does so with a combination of minerals e.g. zinc, copper, vitamin C, etc.
Prevents Cancer
As you know, antioxidants prevent your cells from damage.
Cancer is essentially damage done to your body cells by their rapid and unchecked growth of them. Sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants that help in cancer prevention and treatment. Studies show that purple sweet potatoes are high in anthocyanins, which appear to promote apoptosis of cancer cells.
Anti-Inflammatory in Nature
If there is an unchecked inflammation in your body due to any germ or foreign bodies, it raises the risk of many chronic diseases e.g. obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. The great thing is sweet potatoes are anti-inflammatory in nature. They prevent inflammation at the cellular level.
Supports Your Gut Health
Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, which promotes a healthy digestive system. Sweet potatoes have high levels of plant sterols e.g. phytosterols, which exerts a protective impact on your digestive system. It keeps your gut clean and healthy and protects against intestinal and gastric ulcers.
Improves Brain Function
The antioxidants in sweet potatoes can prevent free radical damage and the inflammation associated with cognitive decline and dementia.
The anthocyanins in purple sweet potatoes are associated with improvements in learning and memory.
Sweet Potato Benefits in Pregnancy
Sweet potatoes are a good source of essential nutrients that a woman needs during pregnancy. Shakarkandi benefits you with essential nutrients like magnesium, potassium, copper, calcium, fiber, etc. All these nutrients are necessary for the healthy growth of the baby.
Healthy Growth of Your Baby
A pregnant woman should eat foods rich in vitamin A, almost 800 mg of vitamin A, on a daily basis. Less than half a cup of baked sweet potatoes provide you with this portion of vitamin A.
Vitamin A is crucial in fetal development as it helps in the growth of vital organs like the heart, lungs, liver, blood, kidneys, etc.
Sweet Potato Helps Prevent Constipation
Pregnant women often complain of constipation, which is a common problem during pregnancy.
Sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, which cleans your gut and helps in a smooth bowel movement.
If you are pregnant, your diet should comprise around 30 grams of daily fiber, which you can obtain from half a cup of sweet potatoes.
Brain Development of the Baby
Your baby needs Pyridoxine, also known as vitamin B6, for a proper brain and nervous system.
This vitamin also produces more blood and prevents nausea in pregnant women.
A cup of sweet potatoes provides a third of the required daily amount of pyridoxine.
Bone Development of the Baby
When you are pregnant, you need 90 mg of vitamin C every day. Vitamin C promotes enzyme activity, bone and tendon growth, skin development, etc. It also speeds up the absorption of iron, which is required for the formation of red blood cells.
Manganese is a rare mineral that also helps in the development of bones and cartilage of your baby.
You can get vitamin C and manganese from just one cup of baked sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potato Benefits for Skin and Hair
Shakarkandi benefits are immense for your hair and health. Let me tell you about some of them.
Skin Rejuvenation
Vitamin A is required for cell production and growth, which are present in sweet potatoes. An increased intake of vitamin A helps to increase healthy skin cell production.
Anthocyanins in sweet potatoes can have anti-aging properties, because they neutralize free radicals, and prevent damage to your cells, reducing fine lines and wrinkles on your face.
Collagen Production with Sweet Potato Benefits
Sweet potatoes contain vitamin C, which is both an antioxidant and vital in the production of collagen.
Collagen is the main component in the skin and other connective tissues, including hair and nails.
Skin Moisturization
Potassium and pantothenic acid in sweet potatoes serve as natural moisturizers. Potassium aids in skin moisturizing when you eat shakarkandi, while pantothenic acid moisturizes the skin when topically applied, and increases skin integrity.
You can make a sweet potato face mask and apply it to your skin. It proves to be moisturizing for your skin and helps to get rid of excess facial oils.
Make an easy sweet potato face mask with boiled sweet potato, honey, ginger powder, and milk.
Decreased Sensitivity to UV Damage
Folate is another important nutrient found in shakarkandi.
Folate deficiency can increase sensitivity to UV damage, which can increase the risk of skin cancers. Sweet potatoes maintain a healthy level of folate in your body when you regularly consume them.
Hair Growth
Sweet potatoes also contain many of the nutrients that are important for hair growth, including vitamin B, potassium, vitamin C, and zinc. These nutrients are a good source of boosting your hair quality and growth.
Wrapping Up!
Sweet potatoes are a source of many different nutrients that can improve skin and hair health! This delicious vegetable may be worth incorporating into everyday meals or into beauty routines. Sweet potatoes are versatile and can be prepared in both sweet and savory dishes, making them an exceptional carb option for most people.
If you want to know more about the benefits of different vegetables for your health and well-being, make sure to consult a well-known nutritionist in Lahore. You can make an appointment via Healthwire.pk or you can call (042) 32500989.
