Sweet potato is a pantry staple. It’s versatile, an easy go to and kids love them too!
Even better, the tuber actually packs quite the nutritional punch, and if you’re a sweet tooth by nature, sweet potatoes are also a great food to satisfy your sugar cravings (due to their higher levels of natural sugar).
Proving they’re a win-win all round, it comes as no surprise that the health benefits of sweet potatoes are plentiful. From relieving stress to promoting healthy skin, here are the most surprising sweet potato benefits of them all.
1. Sweet potatoes can help stimulate hair growth
It’s no secret that frequent hair dying, stress and over-washing can seriously affect hair growth, and hair texture. If you’re on the hunt for a more natural way to unlocking healthy hair, sweet potato might just be the answer.
Why? It’s due to sweet potatoes high levels of vitamin A, which helps cell growth in hair follicles. But before you go eating the vegetable for breakfast, lunch and dinner, note that too much vitamin A can put hair follicles into overdrive, which can actually cause hair loss.
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2. They can help manage stress levels (yes really)
From working full time to caring for kids and running a household, trying to balance a fully loaded schedule often results in some sort of stress. While slowing down your lifestyle can be an effective solution to the problem, a more nutrient rich diet can also help big breakouts of stress.
Incorporating more sweet potatoes in your diet can be a great way to combat stress and this is due to the fact that the vegetable is magnesium rich. An essential mineral for normal body functioning, magnesium can help reduce body wide inflammation and also helps to level out the body’s stress response system.
3. They’re an amazing source of fibre
There’s no denying that ‘gut health’ has been a hot topic in the health world over the past few years. While kimchi and probiotic yoghurt have been named great foods to help with maintaining a healthy digestion, the humble sweet potato should not be overlooked.
Packed with high levels of dietary fibre, incorporating sweet potato into your daily meals can be a great way to up your daily fibre intake and get your digestive health back on track. Try using sweet potato as an alternative to bread when making toast, it’s a quick and easy change that will do wonders for your body, and it tastes great too!
4. Sweet potatoes can do wonders for your skin
A youthful glow: everybody wants it, and while lotions and serums can help you keep your skin looking fresh, you can’t overlook the importance of a nutrient rich diet. Enter: the sweet potato. You already know the vegetable is great for your digestive system, but did you know that 150 grams of baked sweet potato contains 100 per cent of you daily intake of vitamin A and C?
That’s right, eating sweet potato on a regular basis can help support healthy skin. Containing plenty of vitamin A, eating sweet potato regularly can assist in stimulating the collagen in your skin, a vital protein that keeps skin looking young and fresh. Not to mention, the high levels of vitamin C in sweet potato is also great for sufferers of hyperpigmentation, as it helps to stimulate melanin production.
5. They are a great source of potassium
If you thought bananas were the best natural source of potassium, think again. Sweet potatoes provides twice the amount of potassium as a banana, that’s 950 milligrams per serving!
But what is the importance of potassium exactly? Well, it helps to sweep excess sodium and fluid out of the body, which lowers blood pressure and reduces strain of the heart. Not forgetting that it helps to regulate heart rhythm and also contributes to maintaining healthy nerve function. So, if you’re looking for a way to shake up your diet and make your food choices more heart friendly, try subbing out your carby side serving at dinner for a portion of roasted sweet potato.
Brought to you by Australian Sweet Potatoes
