Craving Something Sweet? It’s Sweet Potato Awareness Month!

Move over pumpkin because sweet potatoes are now the star of the show! Not only are sweet potatoes delicious, but they are packed with nutrients. Learn about these orange root vegetables for Sweet Potato Awareness Month this November.

Sweet potatoes are a dinner staple this time of year. What makes this vegetable so popular is their taste and their coloring. However, it can be easy to confuse yams for sweet potatoes given their vibrant orange pigment, but they are two very different vegetables. There are some key differences you may observe to tell them apart.

A Sweet Potato is a Yam, Right?

Not quite! If you come across a sweet potato and a yam in the grocery store you will find they look very similar. But they are slightly different in taste and texture. They do however come from the same family of starchy root vegetables!

Yams are usually darker than sweet potatoes and have brown tree bark-like skin. A typical yam has a white inside, and they have a neutral flavor. They can be boiled, roasted, or fried but must be cooked before eating because if eaten raw they can be toxic.

Sweet Potatoes can have brown, orange/red, or even purple skin. The flesh of the sweet potato is usually orange, and you guessed it, they are sweet in taste! They are equally versatile as yams when it comes to cooking. Unlike Yams, however, they can be eaten raw causing no harm.

Nutritional Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes provide an abundance of nutrients.. They are an excellent source of many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Beta Carotene- Sweet potatoes are rich in this antioxidant, giving them their bright orange color. In the body, beta carotene gets converted into vitamin A which your body uses to support healthy vision.

Vitamin A- Besides healthy vision, vitamin A which is found in sweet potatoes, also helps to support a healthy immune system by working as an antioxidant.

Vitamin C- Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, helping to support a healthy immune system. Vitamin C functions as an antioxidant to help your body fight off free radicals which can cause disease.

Fiber- The skin of sweet potatoes is a great source of fiber helping to support gut health. Sweet potatoes contain both soluble and insoluble fiber.

With the many ways you can prepare sweet potatoes you are sure to find a recipe you can use again and again.

Your Turn to Take Action- What’s your favorite sweet potato dish? Let me know in the comments below!