Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are yummy.  Growing up in a Chinese family, this root was not in our typical food fare at home.  In fact, the only time it came up (and only when we were in college) was during Thanksgiving meals, when my mother would make yams with some marshmallows to "try" to be traditional.

In any case, with a family of my own, I'm trying out different ways to get my kids to eat different veggies.  I was roasting butternut squash for them recently, and thought to do the same with sweet potatoes.  Yes I know...duh.  But it's not in my repertoire of I-don't-need-to-think-about-how-to-make-Chinese-food-recipes, so that's my excuse.

There are multiple sites out there that will explain the benefits of sweet potatoes up the wazoo.  I'll just summarize them here for you.

1)  A medium sized sweet potato contains more than your daily requirement of vitamin A, nearly a third the vitamin C you need, almost 15 percent of your daily dietary fiber intake and 10 percent of the necessary potassium.

2)  The natural sugars in sweet potatoes are slowly released into the bloodstream, helping to ensure a balanced and regular source of energy, without the blood sugar spikes that can make you tired and gain weight.

3)  They have anti-inflammatory agents that may help with arthritis, stomach ulcers, emphysema, and your digestive tract.

4)  And most importantly, they are versatile.  You can roast, puree, bake, or steam them.  Put them in stews or in soups. Easy to use and yummy too.