If you’re anything like me, nutrition knowledge can be a little tough to understand. I’d like to make it simple for you, so that you can quickly understand the facts about some of the most important nutrients you need on a daily basis. Once you understand how nutrient value affects your body, you’ll be able to better plan meals, snacks, and everything else that affects your health. I hope that by the time you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll have a better understanding of what nutrition means to you.
Okay, let’s go over a few of the most important facts about nutrition. One thing that I want to start off with is that if you eat a diet that consists mostly of processed or junk foods, you’re going to be getting a lot less nutrition than if you ate a diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and other natural food choices. Sweet potatoes are a solid source of fiber and contain an astounding array of minerals and vitamins including potassium, iron, and they also have a great deal of vitamin A. One of the most important nutrient values of sweet potatoes is they’re high in beta-carotene which turns into vitamin A when eaten. Also, bananas are another great source of nutrition, and have about half of the calories that an apple has.
There are a few other types of fruit that are also great sources of nutrition and one of them happens to be the raw sweet potato. The reason that this vegetable is so beneficial to your nutrition is because it contains two times more fiber than an apple. If you combine this vegetable with other fiber rich fruits like watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe or celery you will be putting yourself on the right track towards great nutrition.
Another question that people have is can sweet potatoes good for diabetes? This is an excellent question, because the answer really depends on a few different factors. For instance, if you have type 1 diabetes then yes they can be beneficial to your eye health. However, if you do not have type 1 diabetes, or are okay with taking prescription diabetes medications, then the chances are pretty much nil that sweet potatoes will have any negative effect on your diabetes medications.
What does it mean that these types of potatoes foods can actually help improve your overall health by lowering blood pressure and increasing the amount of potassium that you have in your body? Potatoes have been proven to increase the amount of potassium that is available in your blood. In fact, there is a recent study completed at the John Hopkins University of Neurology that actually showed that diabetic patients who ate twice as much sweet potato as compared to non-diabetic patients improved their blood pressure after four weeks. The study went on to conclude that the increased potassium levels in the blood was directly related to the lower blood pressure. Not only does this mean that consuming a sweet potato helps regulate blood sugar levels, it also means that eating a sweet potato could benefit your eyes.
What is the Glycemic Index, and why is it important to know what it is? The Glycemic index is a system that ranks carbohydrates according to how fast they raise your blood sugar. Foods that are high in the glycemic index tend to raise your blood sugar levels more quickly than other carbohydrates. One of the main reasons that you should avoid unrefined potatoes is because they are very high in the glycemic index. A high index means that your food will raise your blood glucose very rapidly, which can cause problems for people with type 2 diabetes.
The last question that you may have is do sweet potatoes contain dietary fiber? The answer is yes, they do contain some dietary fiber, but not as much as some other foods. However, some health benefits do exist when consumed in the proper amounts. Dietary fiber can help regulate your cholesterol levels as well as keeping your heart healthy. Foods that have high levels of dietary fiber may also be beneficial to people with digestive problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome.
As you can see, eating a sweet potato has some great nutritional value. However, as a whole, it does not have a lot of nutritional value. For most people who have type 2 diabetes or are trying to lose weight, consuming any food that is high in the glycemic index may not be the best choice. When combined with other proven low-glycemic foods, however, a sweet potato can be a great addition to your diet.