No one can refuse to bake sweet potatoes in winter, whether it is the warm and heavy hand feeling of holding it in his hand, or the aroma of rising and drilling straight into his nasal cavity.
The most charming thing is the soft, glutinous and soft sweetness that one bite bites down.
Do you also have a baked sweet potato stall at the gate of the school, downstairs of the company or at the entrance of the subway station in your memory? The business of this sweet potato stall is often very tight, and it takes a while to queue up to buy it…..
Nutritional Value of Sweet Potato
Sweet potato itself is rich in soluble sugars such as sucrose, which will be further converted into maltose during baking to increase sweet taste.
At the same time, sweet potato also contains a small amount of protein, which can react with sugar in Maillard under high temperature, thus giving attractive aroma.
The rich dietary fiber in sweet potatoes can not only prolong satiety (satisfaction), but also promote intestinal peristalsis and relieve subsequent burdens (this is also the saying that 1 kg sweet potato 2 kg? The scientific explanation of).
Besides being delicious, sweet potatoes have helped people all over the world through famine because of their drought tolerance and strong climate adaptability.
Its nutritional composition is not only rich in carbohydrate, but also as simple as that.
Sweet potatoes are also rich in nutrients such as carotene, vitamins (especially vitamin C, folic acid and vitamin B6), minerals (calcium and potassium), etc. Fresh sweet potatoes may contain more polyphenols and antioxidant components than most green leafy vegetables.
The rich carotene content of sweet potatoes has helped countless children in backward areas resist the risk of vitamin A deficiency.
In many regions, sweet potato has been added to the diet as an intervention measure to improve vitamin A deficiency in children, which has improved the problems of night blindness and growth retardation in children.
The Relationship with Potatoes and Purple Potatoes
It is not difficult to see from the above figure that compared with potato, sweet potato has significantly higher sugar content in carbohydrate, so it tastes sweeter, so it also has the title of sweet potato.
But in fact, sweet potato and potato belong to different plant subjects.
Purple potatoes and sweet potatoes are closer. They all belong to sweet potatoes.
The nutritional composition of sweet potatoes will vary according to the type and environment, but in general, sweet potatoes have higher contents of-carotene, starch and vitamin C, while purple potatoes have higher contents of anthocyanin, protein and various minerals.
How do you eat potatoes?
Supplement staple food and balance nutrition
Although there are these subtle differences, potatoes, sweet potatoes and purple potatoes are very good staple food supplements.
< < Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents > > It is recommended to take 50 ~ 100g of potatoes as part of staple food every day. Replacing refined rice and white flour with potatoes is helpful to control blood sugar and improve constipation.
However, it should be noted that potatoes cannot completely replace grains because of their low protein content.
If you are forced by conditions, you can only take potatoes as the only staple food. At this time, you should eat more bean products or fish, poultry and eggs to increase the intake of protein.
In order to achieve a balanced nutrition intake, it is not advisable to solve a meal with a baked sweet potato.
If you are really too busy to buy a baked sweet potato for dinner, you can prepare some snacks such as fruits and nuts at the same time, and you can cook some green vegetables and add extra meals when you are busy.
Health risks of baked sweet potatoes
Although baked sweet potatoes are delicious, there may also be some health risks.
Some food safety scholars have raised safety doubts about sweet potatoes directly baked by coal fire in large round jars. They bought baked sweet potatoes from the streets and detected that the cortex, subcutaneous meat layer and intermediate meat layer of sweet potatoes were seriously polluted by sulfur and heavy metals.
(Although there are few relevant studies, and considering the consumption amount, it is not enough to draw the conclusion that traditional baked sweet potatoes are harmful to health, but after all, this kind of pollution can be avoided.)
If you really can’t resist the temptation of baked sweet potatoes on the street, you can try to choose sweet potatoes with undamaged sweet potato skins and avoid eating sweet potato skins when eating.
If conditions permit, you can use ovens and microwave ovens to make your own baked sweet potatoes, baked purple potatoes and baked potatoes at home, which will have lower health risks than directly baked with open flames.
Small dessert is pleasant, eating too much hurts one’s health.
Rich dietary fiber in potatoes can increase satiety, but eating too much may also cause dyspepsia such as abdominal distension and acid regurgitation.
Therefore, don’t eat too much at once, especially for the elderly, children and people with poor gastrointestinal function.
In addition, the content of sugar and oil is not too low for sweeter and more attractive desserts such as shredded sweet potatoes and baked sweet potatoes with cheese.
Dried sweet potatoes without additives can be used as healthy and natural snacks, but if you eat snacks made of potatoes, you should also pay attention to reducing the intake of staple foods accordingly.
Can sweet potato sprout be eaten?
Sweet potatoes bought by oneself for cooking, porridge and steaming may sprout, and some people may hesitate to look at the sprouted sweet potatoes.
This is the time to mention the difference between potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Most people know that sprouted potatoes cannot be eaten, because the content of solanine will greatly increase after potatoes germinate. This heat-resistant (high-temperature cooking cannot decompose) plant toxin will inhibit the secretion of cholinesterase, and excessive intake even has fatal risks.
The stems and leaves of sweet potatoes are edible, and germination will not lead to harmful substances in sweet potato root blocks.
Even the dietary fiber and vitamin content of sweet potato leaves are very advantageous in green leafy vegetables and can become a good dish.
Finally, I would like to remind you that whether potatoes or sweet potatoes are moldy or thrown away. Even if the moldy parts are cut off, the mold may have spread to other parts of sweet potatoes. Eating them will cause damage to gastrointestinal tract and even kidney.