OLATHE, Kan. – This year’s sweet potato harvest is showing up on market and store shelves. It’s a timely arrival for a holiday meal staple.

 

“If medical and health experts had their way, however, the event would mark the start of our eating more sweet potatoes year-round,” said Ted Carey, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension.

 

Part of the basis for the experts’ recommendation is two separate studies by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Both rated the sweet potato as by far the most nutritional U.S. vegetable – easily beating out both broccoli and spinach, Carey said.

 

“In part, though, it’s because natural components in sweet potatoes help the body resist some of our most common deadly diseases. So, overall, the sweet potato is close to being a superfood,” said Carey, who is based at K-State’s Horticulture Research Center near Olathe.

 

Among the many groups that now rank the sweet potato as one of the world’s top health foods are the Mayo Clinics, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, George Mateljan Foundation, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

 

Fresh sweet potatoes are the best buys, Carey said, because they come with their skin. The skin has nutrients of its own. Plus, it helps make a sweet potato’s fiber content the equal of a bowl of oatmeal’s.

 
Led by the orange-fleshed varieties, sweet potatoes also are a great source of the antioxidants vitamin E and beta-carotene (vitamin A). Antioxidants bolster the human immune system. They provide protection against cancer, heart disease and stroke. Some evidence suggests they even help delay the progression of Alzheimer's.

 

Sweet potatoes also are basically fat- and cholesterol-free, Carey said, setting them apart from such vitamin E sources as nuts, avocadoes and vegetable oils. In addition, they have a low glycemic index, which is important to both diabetics and carbohydrate counters for maintaining steady blood-glucose levels.

 

“Basically, their having a low G.I. number means you digest them slowly. Another benefit of that, of course, is they make you feel full longer,” Carey said.

 

Sweet potatoes provide from one-third to one-half of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, another immune system booster. Studies indicate Vitamin C helps prevent heart disease by reducing the blood’s “bad” cholesterol levels and boosting its “good” cholesterol levels.

 

Sweet potatoes are also an important source of vitamin B6 and iron. They contain folate, a B vitamin that’s essential for cell growth and reproduction. They’re among the top three food sources of potassium, which helps maintain normal blood pressure and the body’s heart and nerve functions.

 

“It doesn’t hurt, of course, that the sweet potato is fairly low-calorie, too. And, it’s virtually sodium-free,” Carey said. “I’d say these vegetables are well worth growing yourself, as well as eating year-round.”

 

 

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