Sweet potatoes are one of the staple foods due to their nutritional content and benefits.
For those of you who are already familiar with foods to replace rice, you must have heard of the health benefits of sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes support health and can be used as staple meals. Why is it?
The answer lies in its complex carbohydrate content.
Thanks to this, sweet potatoes make you feel full longer.
Take a look at the following explanation for other health benefits of sweet potatoes!
Various Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Thanks to the nutrients in sweet potatoes, you can reap the many benefits.
What are they?
Here is the explanation:
1. Controlling Blood Sugar Levels
Sweet potatoes are known to help manage blood sugar levels.
This is caused by the low glycemic index of its contents.
The glycemic index is an indicator of how quickly carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels.
Magnesium in sweet potatoes helps regulate insulin, which supports glucose uptake in muscles.
This way, consuming sweet potatoes helps prevent diabetes.
2. Supporting Digestion
The fiber and antioxidant content of sweet potatoes support better digestion.
Fiber is required by the good bacteria in the gut, which prevent inflammation and improve waste removal processes in the digestive system.
A 2018 study found that antioxidant compounds in sweet potatoes help good bacteria grow in the gut.
3. Maintaining the Immune System
One of the best-known health benefits of sweet potatoes is their role in supporting the immune system. Sweet potatoes are one of the foods that contain vitamin C, which can improve the immune system.
In addition, the anthocyanin content will help protect the body against free radicals, thereby preventing cancer.
Read more: 9 Benefits of Green Vegetables
4. Maintaining an Ideal Body Weight
Consuming sweet potatoes can help maintain body weight.
Sweet potatoes are one of the foods that contain complex carbohydrates.
Complex carbohydrates are nutrients that are absorbed slowly but can still provide energy optimally for the body.
You will feel fuller for longer if you eat sweet potatoes.
This way, you can eat mindfully.
5. Supporting Eye Health
Beta-carotene in sweet potatoes helps with eye health.
This substance assists in the formation of receptors that detect light.
6. Containing Anti-inflammatory Properties
Sweet potatoes also help with their anti-inflammatory properties.
It contains Colin, which assists against inflammation and free radicals.
Moreover, Colin also helps with fat absorption and protects the heart from cholesterol.
These anti-inflammatory properties are also contained in sweet potato leaves.
Thanks to these substances, you can enjoy the health benefits of sweet potatoes for your stomach.
More precisely, the vitamin A and antioxidant properties of sweet potato leaves help prevent stomach inflammation.
7. Preventing High Blood Pressure
Sweet potatoes also help maintain blood pressure levels.
Potassium, one of the nutrients in sweet potatoes, will help reduce tension in blood vessels.
Therefore, sweet potato consumption also prevents high blood pressure.
On the other hand, potassium also helps reduce excess salt levels in the body by removing it through urine.
8. Maintaining Heart Health
Since sweet potato consumption also helps control blood pressure, heart health can be well maintained.
In addition, the high fiber content in sweet potatoes helps eliminate cholesterol and prevent plaque formation that can obstruct blood vessels.
Nutritional Contents of Sweet Potato
After understanding the health benefits of sweet potatoes, here are their nutritional contents.
In 100 grams of steamed yellow sweet potatoes, here is the nutritional composition of sweet potatoes according to the Indonesian Food Composition Data.
- Energy: 100 calories.
- Carbohydrates: 23.8 grams.
- Water: 74.2 grams.
- Protein: 0.7 gram.
- Fat: 0,3 gram.
- Fiber: 1 gram.
- Calcium (Ca): 44 milligrams.
- Sodium (Na): 3 milligrams.
- Magnesium (Fe): 0,4 gram.
- Zinc (Zn): 0,2 milligram.
- Phosphor (P): 46 milligrams.
- Potassium (K): 0,8 milligram.
- Vitamin B2: 0,1 milligram.
- Vitamin C: 16 milligrams.
- Niacin: 0,6 milligram.
- Beta-caroten: 819 microgram.
This concludes the numerous benefits of sweet potatoes and their contents for the body.
Consuming healthy and nutritious foods is a step you can take to maintain your body's metabolism.
Aside from food consumption, don’t forget to drink plenty of water for better metabolism.
You can opt for AQUA mineral water to accompany your daily consumption.
AQUA has been providing quality drinkable water for Indonesians for more than 49 years.
AQUA maintains its quality through high-quality packaging procedures as well. This way, its purity can be preserved.
You can choose any AQUA product according to your needs, since it is available in various packages, ranging from the simple 220 ml, 330 ml, 600 ml, and 1500 ml to the 19-liter gallon for your family.
Never forget to serve #AQUADULU for your daily mineral water consumption!
