Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are another good source of beta carotene which, as we learned with carrots, can fight of a ton of different cancers. So don't save this vegetable for Thanksgiving. Make it a regular part of your diet Not only are sweet potatoes readily available, inexpensive, and delicious, there are many other reasons to love these yummy vegetables. Here are 9: 1. They are high in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 helps reduce the chemical homocysteine in our bodies. Homocysteine has been linked with degenerative diseases, including the prevention of heart attacks. 2. They are a good source of vitamin C. While most people know that vitamin C is important to help ward off cold and flu viruses, few people are aware that this crucial vitamin plays an important role in bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation. It helps accelerate wound healing, produces collagen which helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity, and is essential to helping us cope with stress. It even appears to help protect our body against toxins that may be linked to cancer. 3. They contain Vitamin D which is critical for immune system and overall health at this time of year. Both a vitamin and a hormone, vitamin D is primarily made in our bodies as a result of getting adequate sunlight. You may have heard about seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, as it is also called), which is linked to inadequate sunlight and therefore a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D plays an important role in our energy levels, moods, and helps to build healthy bones, heart, nerves, skin, and teeth, and it supports the thyroid gland. 4. Sweet potatoes contain iron. Most people are aware that we need the mineral iron to have adequate energy, but iron plays other important roles in our body, including red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, proper immune functioning, and the metabolizing of protein, among other things. 5. Sweet potatoes are a good source of magnesium, which is the relaxation and anti-stress mineral. Magnesium is necessary for healthy artery, blood, bone, heart, muscle, and nerve function, yet experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of the population in North America may be deficient in this important mineral. 6. They are a source of potassium, one of the important electrolytes that help regulate heartbeat and nerve signals. Like the other electrolytes, potassium performs many essential functions, some of which include relaxing muscle contractions, reducing swelling, and protecting and controlling the activity of the kidneys. 7. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet-tasting but their natural sugars are slowly released into the bloodstream, helping to ensure a balanced and regular source of energy, without the blood sugar spikes linked to fatigue and weight gain. 8. Their rich orange colour indicates that they are high in carotenoids like beta carotene and other carotenoids, which is the precursor to vitamin A in your body. Carotenoids help strengthen our eyesight and boost our immunity to disease, they are powerful antioxidants that help ward off cancer and protect against the effects of aging. Studies at Harvard University of more than 124,000 people showed a 32 percent reduction in risk of lung cancer in people who consumed a variety of carotenoid-rich foods as part of their regular diet. Another study of women who had completed treatment for early stage breast cancer conducted by researchers at Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) found that women with the highest blood concentrations of carotenoids had the least likelihood of cancer recurrence. 9. There are versatile. Try them roasted, puréed, steamed, baked, or grilled. You can add them to soups and stews, or grill and place on top of leafy greens for a delicious salad. I enjoy grilling them with onions and red peppers for amazing sandwich or wrap ingredients. Puree them and add to smoothies and baked goods. Non-culinary uses of Sweet Potato(1) In South America, the juice of red sweet potatoes is combined with lime juice to make a dye for cloth. By varying the proportions of the juices, every shade from pink to black can be obtained. (2) All parts of the plant are used for animal fodder. (3) Sweet potatoes or camotes are often found in Moche ceramics. (4) Several selections are cultivated in gardens as ornamental plants for their attractive foliage, including the dark-leafed cultivars 'Blackie' and 'Ace of Spades' and the chartreuse-foliaged 'Margarita'. (5) Cuttings of sweet potato vine, either edible or ornamental varieties, will rapidly form roots in water and will grow in it, indefinitely, in good lighting with a steady supply of nutrients. For this reason, sweet potato vine is ideal for use in home aquariums, trailing out of the water with its roots submerged, as its rapid growth is fueled by toxic ammonia and nitrates, a waste product of aquatic life, which it removes from the water. This improves the living conditions for fish, which also find refuge in the vast root systems. (6) Researchers at North Carolina State University are breeding sweet potato varieties that would be grown primarily for biofuel production. Sources: - http://www.fitnessfrenzie.com/gallery/7024/delicious-foods-that-fight-cancer/75007#sthash.vn30fIHl.dpuf -http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-reasons-to-love-sweet-potatoes.html#ixzz30nYBfu94 -http://www.sweetsp.com/discovering-some-non-culinary-uses-of.html Ginger- Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe Silken and spicy, this dreamy dessert encapsulates the flavors of fall. For a cheesecake, it's surprisingly low in calories and fat. In addition to sweet potato, it draws extra fiber from the cereal crust.
IngredientsServes: Prep: 16min |Cook: 1hr 10min |Total: 4hr 25min
Directions1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9" springform pan with cooking spray. 2. Combine the potatoes in a large saucepan over high heat with enough cold water to cover by 2". Bring to a boil; cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and mash; cool. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove from the heat, add the apricots and let stand for 10 minutes; drain. 3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cookies and cereal; process until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and add the butter; mix well. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom and 1" up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. 4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, place the mashed sweet potatoes, cream cheese, and Neufchatel cheese and beat on high speed until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the yogurt, egg whites, sugar, ginger, flour, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt and beat well. Sprinkle the apricots over the bottom of the prepared crust. Pour the potato mixture over the apricots. Bake until the cheesecake is almost set, about 42 to 45 minutes. Turn the oven off and let stand for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours before serving. Nutritional Facts per servingCALORIES164 CAL FAT5.8 G SATURATED FAT3.3 G CHOLESTEROL16 MG SODIUM251 MG CARBOHYDRATES24.1 G TOTAL SUGARS13.1 G DIETARY FIBER2.2 G PROTEIN5.8 G taken from http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/healthy-sweet-potato-recipes
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AuthorNicole Levy is the sole proprietor for Levy's Goodies, as well as our baker and main cake and pastry decorator. Archives
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