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The Misunderstood Sweet Potato
The Misunderstood Sweet Potato
My friend Amber posted on her Facebook last night inquiring where her husband was because she had made him a delicious sweet potato for dinner last night, and was wondering when he would get home. I jokingly commented, “The sweet potato is sooo misunderstood!” Funny because how many people get excited for a sweet potato? Tell people that you are going to make sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner, and see how many wrinkled up noses you get. “Oooh, I don’t like sweet potatoes.” “What are you going to make them with marshmallows—that’s nasty!” and the comments keep coming. Why? Sweet potatoes are often likened to yams. Now I can’t even say the word yams without my mouth curling. Yams are over-cooked, over-sweetened, uber-mushy, ugly roots that every Grandma in America puts on the plate at Thanksgiving. But a sweet potato is a different kind of animal, often misunderstood, and I’d like to take a second to talk about them.
Allow me to get botanical on you for a second…According to the USA Department of Agriculture and the Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress, “yams and sweet potatoes are both angiosperms, or flowering plants. However, they are not related botanically. Yams are a monocot, or a plant having one embryonic seed leaf) and are from the yam family. Sweet potatoes, often referred to as yams, are a dicot, or a plant having two embryonic seed leaves, are from the morning glory family.” Yams have a moist, soft flesh, with a deep orange color. Sweet potatoes have many different varieties, ranging from very light in color, to yellow, orange, red and orangey–red. They can also have different textures, ranging from firm to soft. Because of these different varieties, the sweet potato is often confused with the yam. I prefer a firmer sweet potato, lighter in color, and delicately tasting.
Nutritionally, sweet potatoes pack a wallop of vitamin goodness. Sweet potatoes are loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, B6, riboflavin, copper, pantothetic acid, folic acid, and are an excellent source of potassium. The sweet potato with the darker orange flesh is packed with beta-carotene. Despite the name “sweet”, it may be a beneficial food for diabetics, as preliminary studies on animals have revealed that it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance (reference WHFoods.com) Some other benefits of the sweet potato include:
1. Powerful antioxidants that work to remove free radicals, or chemicals that damage cells.
2. Good for stomach ulcers and help to reduce inflammation in the colon.
3. Because it has high fiber content, it could be useful for those that battle hemorrhoids.
4. Because of its very high Vitamin A content, sweet potatoes are a great aid to preventing cancer.
5. The sweet potato is also very helpful to body builders or people that are involved in heavy muscular work due to its very high contents of vitamins and minerals.
6. Because of its high beta-carotene content (particularly in the darker varieties), the sweet potato can take on the carrot any day of the week. Beta-carotene helps to fight chronic inflammation diseases, like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as heart disease.
7. When eaten with the skin on, the sweet potato has as much fiber as a half of cup of oatmeal.
8. Because of high mineral contents, like phosphorous, zinc, and magnesium, a sweet potato can help your skin stay clear, smooth and young looking.
9. Sweet potatoes, despite their yummy taste, are surprising low in calories. One sweet potato, approximately 7 oz is only 180 calories. But because they are high in carbohydrates, they leave you feeling fuller and more satisfied.
10. Sweet potatoes are high in folate, making it an ideal food for pregnant women.
So why am I talking about the sweet potato? Well, on plantsomehappy.com, we’re going to talk about anything and everything that will keep you happy, balanced, inspired and informed. But I can’t help but think how I can relate a sweet potato to my every day life.
This morning, when I dropped my girls off at school, I walked my daughter Secora to her first grade class. It’s the day of the big Valentine party, and she had her hands full with valentines, and candy for the teacher, treats for the party, etc. Her teacher, Mrs. Isaacson, was standing at the door, glowingly greeting all the kids while accepting their homemade cards, hearts filled with candy and flowers. A little boy came up to Secora as she made her way through the class and gave her a big hug. I didn’t really think too much about it until Mrs. Isaacson told me the story. She told me that this boy, as sweet as he is, didn’t have too many friends. He’s a bit quiet, and needs a little more help with his lessons. Sadly, some kids pick up on weakness, and naturally start teasing him a bit, as children do. Secora, however, not only took him under his wing, but helps him with his work when she is done with hers, and defends him when things get a bit out of hand. My heart softened, and I was very proud of my daughter. But what was even more special is that the little boy whispered into Mrs. Isaacson’s ear, and a smile crept on her face. She asked me if I would mind giving him a hug, because he wanted to hug the mother of Secora. I bent over and gave him a big squeeze. I guess I likened this sweet little boy to the misunderstood sweet potato. Think how many friends he could have if other children, like my daughter, gave him a chance to show all the good he can do, instead of mistaking him for the overcooked canned yam. I can only imagine. I guess in this instance, Secora planted some happy for him, and he planted some happy for me.
Go ahead and give the sweet potato a try…oh, and plant some happy while you’re at it.
About the Author
Cynthia Johnson is the proud mother of two girls and one baby boy, Aurelia, Secora and Myles. She and her business partner, Michelle Hexum, run two large format print facilities, one in Portland, OR and the other in Columbus, OH. She is interested in continuing to learn new and eco-friendly print methods, while developing her love of writing and blogging. Visit her websites at www.happydaybanners.com, www.plantsomehappy.com, or www.thinksigns.net.
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