The BEST healthy sweet potato chili recipe. Award winning! (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest way to eat sweet potatoes? ›

Boiling may actually retain most of the antioxidant power of sweet potatoes, compared to roasting and steaming. If we compare baking to boiling microscopically, boiling helps thin out the cell walls and gelatinize the starch, which may enhance the bioavailability of nutrients.

Sweet potatoes are full of antioxidants, vitamins and fiber to support your eye, digestive and heart health. They're generally safe to eat daily, especially if you eat them with calcium to prevent calcium oxalate kidney stones. There are so many fun and tasty ways to eat sweet potatoes.

Though they can both be part of a healthy diet, sweet potatoes are generally healthier than regular potatoes, partly because of their incredibly high vitamin A content. Sweet potatoes are also lower on the glycemic index, meaning that they are less likely than regular potatoes to make your blood sugar spike.

Steaming uses indirect heat to cook the sweet potatoes gently. Texture: Boiling sweet potatoes causes them to absorb water, resulting in a slightly wetter texture and softened flavor expression. A perfectly steamed sweet potato should hold its shape but turn velvety soft once cut into, like baked sweet potatoes.

Vitamin A (beta-carotene) and vitamin C are two of the strongest antioxidant vitamins, and they're both in rich supply in sweet potatoes. While all sweet potatoes contain vitamin A, the orange variety has substantially more of it.

Boiled sweet potatoes affect blood sugar levels far less than other varieties, such as fried, roasted, or baked versions. Longer boiling times reduce the GI further. To support better blood sugar control, it's best to select healthy cooking methods and enjoy sweet potatoes in moderation.

You can still eat sweet potatoes if you have diabetes, assures Huff. The fiber content in sweet potatoes, especially if you consume them with the skin on, can help reduce spikes in your blood sugar. Plus, how you cook your sweet potatoes can also help reduce the extent to which your blood sugar rises.

Yams and sweet potatoes differ in flavor and appearance, and they are not related. Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family, while yams belong to the lily family. Yams aren't as sweet as sweet potatoes, and they are starchier and drier. Their texture and flavor are more similar to potatoes or yuca.

🍠Why Choose Sweet Potatoes? Nutrient-Dense: Packed with more vitamins and minerals than rice. Whole Food Option: A great choice for those aiming for a diet based on whole foods. Harder to Overeat: Unlike rice, sweet potatoes are more filling, which can help you manage portion sizes better.

It's really the best way. Microwaving sweet potatoes cuts down cook time by 45 to 55 minutes, and, according to a 2018 study, helps maintain the potato's nutritional value. All cooking methods cause foods to lose some of their nutrients, but the quicker your potato cooks, the more nutrients it will retain.

Which is the best time to eat sweet potatoes? ›

Lunch: The best time to eat the sweet potato is to eat at lunch. After eating, calcium in sweet potatoes takes 4-5 hours to absorb into the body, 2 to 5 pm sunlight can promote calcium absorption. In addition, the ability to help the potatoes long enough to work to help you reduce appetite in the evening.

There is not much difference between boiling sweet potatoes with the skins on versus peeling them, but you will get a boost of fiber and potassium if you keep the skin on. The skin also adds a subtle texture to each bite. If you're looking for a smoother mash, peel the potatoes first before boiling.

In terms of nutrition, a baked sweet potato is high in vitamins A and C, fiber, potassium and iron. Flavor-wise, it's like dessert and a savory casserole got married and had a baby. But a baked sweet potato also has twice the glycemic index of a raw sweet potato.

The fiber content of sweet potatoes mainly comes from the peel. Therefore, removing it will decrease your fiber intake. Research has shown that the nutrients in vegetables and fruits tend to be concentrated around the peel. Thus, removing the peel can reduce your intake of nutrients and antioxidants ( 2 , 3).

A: Yes, you will lose nutrients if you soak potatoes in water; the longer they soak, the more you lose. Potatoes are a good source of potassium, vitamin C and some B vitamins, and a portion of these water-soluble nutrients will leach into the water.