Sweet Potatoes Are Your Friend

Eating sweet potatoes seems to go hand in hand with the holidays, but don't stop there. There are many reasons to keep them in the line up throughout the year. To start with, cravings for sweets can be greatly reduced by adding sweet vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, yams, parsnips, beets, squash, turnips and rutabagas to your daily diet. Sweet potatoes in particular offer a creamy consistency that is satisfying and soothing, while elevating blood sugar gently rather than with the jolt delivered by simple refined carbohydrates, so there's no energy crash after you eat them. With a glycemic load of 17 (lower the better, on a scale of 1-100), it is half that of russet potatoes.

The list of health benefits of sweet potatoes is quite impressive for a sweet, grounding food that is readily available all year long. Packed with nutrients and antioxidants, and being a good source of fiber, sweet potatoes help to remove toxins from the body and sooth the impact of stress, play a role in the prevention of heart disease and cancer, lower the risk of diabetes and obesity, are anti-inflammatory and among the top 3 food sources of potassium. The fiber in sweet potatoes provides a feeling of fullness and satiety, which helps you to eat less. All great reasons to include sweet potatoes as a staple on your weekly shopping list year round. The more you have, the less room there is for unhealthy alternatives.

If you're going to eat them more often, you may need some fresh ideas. Besides the Sweet Potatoe Lasgne recipe included on my blog, which is one of my favorites, you can also: pack a baked sweet potato for lunch topped with plain yogurt or cinnamon-flavored applesauce, add peeled chunks to your favorite stew, bake some sweet potato fries.

Other ideas? I would love to hear 'em!