Helps with bowel movements and lose weight! Which sweet potato is the most effective to eat: red, yellow or purple?

Sweet potatoes, with their dense and soft texture, are a delicacy that is enjoyed by people of all ages, and there are many varieties to choose from. If we differentiate by the color of the flesh, there are three types: red, yellow and purple. If you want to improve constipation, which color should you eat? If you want to control your weight, which color of sweet potato is better to eat?

Sweet potato is a nutritious starchy food. In addition to containing the three major nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, and fat, it is also rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber, etc. Sweet potatoes of different varieties and colors have slightly different nutritional contents.

Red sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene and have a sweet taste, making them popular.

Red sweet potatoes are the sweetest and rich in beta-carotene

Nutritionist Sun Yuming said that among the three colors of sweet potatoes, red sweet potatoes have the highest content of beta-carotene. After being eaten, beta-carotene will be converted into vitamin A in the body. It has antioxidant properties, maintains normal visual sensitivity, maintains normal growth and development, enhances immunity, and causes cell maturation and differentiation. It is an indispensable nutrient for the human body.

If you want to supplement vitamin A, you might as well eat some red sweet potatoes. It is now the late spring and early summer, which is the peak season for red sweet potatoes. Enjoy the sweetness and nutrition now! Because red sweet potatoes are very sweet and have a delicate texture, they are very suitable for steaming, baking, and cooking porridge. They are 100% delicious!

Yellow sweet potatoes have a chewy texture and are in season in autumn.

Yellow sweet potato is the best choice for making autumn cakes

Yellow sweet potato is also a common type. The beta-carotene content is not as high as that of red sweet potato, but the flesh is soft and chewy. In addition to being suitable for steaming and baking, it is also suitable for frying or boiling. It is also a good choice for making pastries and refining starch. However, the peak season for yellow sweet potatoes is autumn, so if you want to enjoy the seasonal delicacy, you’ll have to wait a little longer.

Purple sweet potatoes contain anthocyanins and rich dietary fiber, but they have a drier texture, so you should be careful when eating them.

Purple sweet potato tastes dry and is rich in fiber and anthocyanins

In addition to red and yellow sweet potatoes, the new favorite of the market in recent years is none other than purple sweet potatoes! Purple sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber and anthocyanins, which are also the reason why purple sweet potatoes have a romantic and beautiful purple color.

Nutritionist Sun Yuming pointed out that rich dietary fiber helps with bowel movements and prevents constipation, while anthocyanins can protect the body's collagen and maintain the integrity of the structure between cells, thereby preventing wrinkles, spots and other problems caused by stress and oxidation. It is especially suitable for people who love beauty!

However, anthocyanins are easily destroyed by high temperatures. How should we eat them correctly?

If you want to improve constipation, it is recommended to eat purple sweet potatoes with skin to get rich dietary fiber.

It should be noted that anthocyanins are easily affected by high temperatures. Usually, they are destroyed to a greater extent after being heated at 80°C or 30°C for a long time (more than half an hour). Therefore, if you want to eat more anthocyanins in purple sweet potatoes, it is recommended to cook them by steaming or boiling, and avoid baking or frying.

In terms of taste, the purple sweet potato flesh is sweet and firm, but it tastes relatively dry, so you should be careful when eating it. If you like a wetter texture, you can grind it into a paste and make pancakes, or cut it into pieces and cook it into soup, which is quite delicious!

To improve constipation and promote bowel movements, eat purple sweet potatoes with skin

The three colors of sweet potatoes have their own characteristics in nutritional content and taste. What are the differences in their health benefits? Nutritionist Sun Yuming suggests that if you want to improve constipation, you might as well eat purple sweet potatoes with the skin!

Every 100 grams of purple sweet potato contains 2.8 grams of dietary fiber, which is a high-fiber food. If eaten with the skin, the fiber content is even higher. Dietary fiber can promote intestinal peristalsis and increase the volume of stool. It can not only reduce constipation, but also shorten the time that stool stays in the intestine, thus helping to prevent colorectal cancer.

People who want to lose weight can use sweet potatoes to replace refined starches such as white rice and white toast to increase satiety.

It's easy to lose weight by replacing rice with sweet potatoes

On the other hand, sweet potatoes are also a great weight loss ingredient! Nutritionist Sun Yuming said that sweet potatoes are low GI (low glycemic index) foods. After being eaten, they are digested and absorbed more slowly, which can stabilize blood sugar, make you less likely to feel hungry, and reduce the chances of craving for food!

However, sweet potatoes are staple foods after all, and excessive consumption will still cause fat accumulation. Therefore, it is recommended to replace ordinary white rice, white toast and other refined starches with sweet potatoes, rather than using sweet potatoes as a snack outside of the main meal. In addition, eating 1 to 2 small sweet potatoes (about 110 to 220 grams) per meal can properly control the intake. In addition, don’t forget to pair it with plenty of vegetables and high-quality protein to effectively lose weight!

However, it’s easy to get tired of eating sweet potatoes alone every day, so it’s recommended to make "three-color sweet potato pancakes", which both adults and children will like!

It’s easy to get tired of eating sweet potatoes alone after a long time. Why not use tri-color sweet potatoes to make sweet potato pancakes to change the taste and enjoy the delicious taste.

Three-color sweet potato pancakes are nutritious and delicious. Make them yourself

If you don’t like eating ordinary steamed or baked sweet potatoes every day, nutritionist Sun Yuming suggests that you might as well use three-color sweet potatoes to make delicious sweet potato pancakes. You can take in the nutrients of three kinds of sweet potatoes at once and change the taste. The more you eat, the more delicious it will be!

Three-color sweet potato pancakes

Ingredients: 110g purple sweet potato, 110g yellow sweet potato, 110g red sweet potato, 1 egg, 20g low-gluten flour, 5g vegetable oil (the above ingredients are for 3 servings, and the calories per serving are about 203 kcal)

practice:

1. Peel the purple sweet potatoes, steam them and mash them into a paste.

2. Mix purple sweet potato puree with flour and eggs to make a batter.

3. Grate the yellow and red sweet potatoes and add them to the purple sweet potato batter.

4. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the above ingredients over low heat until cooked, then enjoy!

Diabetics should be careful when eating sweet potatoes. People with poor stomach should not eat too much.

Although sweet potatoes are nutritious and healthy, there are still some precautions when eating them. Nutritionist Sun Yuming reminds that if diabetic patients eat a large amount of sweet potatoes at one time, it will be detrimental to blood sugar control, so remember to control the intake. Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, and eating too much can cause bloating. Patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction and gastrointestinal diseases should avoid eating them. In addition, sweet potatoes are high in potassium and should not be consumed by people on a potassium-restricted diet.

Sun Yuming is a nutritionist. (Photo provided by nutritionist Sun Yuming)