Common health-preserving ingredients can also improve physical fitness (Part 1)

Sweet Potato

The most effective anti-cancer ingredients in sweet potatoes: bioflavonoids, vitamin A, and amylase

The main nutrients of sweet potatoes: protein, carbohydrates, polysaccharide mucin, amylase, flavonoids, carotene, vitamin A, B group, C, calcium, dietary fiber

Dietary health benefits:

1. Sweet potatoes contain flavonoids, which are a type of phytoestrogen. Regular consumption can help menopausal women alleviate menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and mood swings.

2. Sweet potatoes contain a large amount of dietary fiber, which can increase bowel movement and moisturize the intestines for people with habitual constipation and dry stools.

3. Sweet potatoes contain special polysaccharide mucus protein, which can maintain the elasticity of human blood vessel walls, prevent atherosclerosis, promote the excretion of cholesterol, and prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases.

The best way to prevent cancer

1. The simplest way to eat sweet potatoes is to steam or bake them. They can also be cooked into sweet potato porridge or fried into sweet potato cakes as a nutritious afternoon tea snack for children.

2. The starch made from sweet potatoes is called sweet potato flour, which can be used as a coating for fried foods, or made into a batter to make traditional Taiwanese snacks such as oyster omelette, tapioca balls, and taro balls.

Tips for eating sweet potatoes

1. Eating sweet potatoes with some plums or pickled radishes can reduce stomach acid and bloating.

2. Eat sweet potatoes in moderation, no more than one bowl a day, or eat them with other foods (such as cereals) to avoid bloating.

3. When cooking sweet potatoes, you need to pay attention to the steaming time to ensure that they are fully cooked. Eating undercooked sweet potatoes can easily cause discomfort such as bloating and heartburn (burning in the chest).

The anti-cancer effects of sweet potatoes

1. Sweet potato, also known as sweet potato or sweet potato, has always been one of the daily staple foods of the common people or used as feed for livestock because it is easy to grow. Now it has become a food ingredient with high health value and is of great help in fighting cancer and preventing diseases.

2. Sweet potato is mild in nature and sweet in taste. It enters the spleen and kidney meridians. It can strengthen the spleen and replenish qi, moisten the intestines and promote bowel movements, harmonize blood and nourish the skin. It is rich in protein and vitamins A, B group, C, and minerals such as iron and calcium. It can maintain the elasticity of the human cardiovascular wall, prevent atherosclerosis, reduce subcutaneous fat, and improve human immunity.

3. American medical experts have discovered that sweet potatoes contain bioflavonoids that can prevent colon cancer and breast cancer. Long-term consumption can not only supplement estrogen but also detoxify, help increase the activity of T cells, effectively inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells, and help the human body stay away from the threat of cancer.

4. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C, which has antioxidant effects. It can prevent free radicals from attacking normal cells and maintain the health and youth of cells. Moreover, the vitamin C in sweet potatoes is not easily destroyed after heating.

5. The vitamin E content of sweet potatoes is twice that of brown rice. They also contain potassium, which can reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Both red and yellow varieties of sweet potatoes are rich in carotenoids, which are effective in preventing cancer and maintaining healthy eyesight.

6. Sweet potatoes are rich in polysaccharide mucin. After steaming and cooking, the starch inside will change. Compared with raw food, it can increase dietary fiber by about 40%, which helps prevent constipation and colorectal cancer.

7. Sweet potatoes contain a large amount of B vitamins, which can supply cells to produce antibodies. Sweet potatoes are alkaline foods, which can adjust the acidic constitution caused by eating rice, noodles and meat frequently and enhance immunity. (Continued in the next article)

This article is provided by Human Think Tank Publishing House and is excerpted from the book "Quick Reference Illustrated Dictionary of Health Benefits of Anti-Cancer Foods". The original author is Xiao Qianyou, a health care lecturer and nutritionist at Chang Gung University of Science and Technology.