Question about sweet potato ?

Options
midwest121
midwest121 Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone, I have a question to ask, I was wondering if sweet potato a good source of food to have, if you're fitness goal is weight loss ?
«1

Replies

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Options
    There's nothing wrong with sweet potato, or any foods for that matter. Just fit it into your calorie goal.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Options
    First, focus on the amount of Calories for weight loss; if eating a portion of sweet potatoes fits into your Calorie goals, you will lose weight. Next, look at the macronutrients (carbs, fats, and proteins) a sweet potato provides per 100g and compare those to similar items per 100g. Sweet potatoes are high in carbs, virtually fat-free, and moderately low in protein. Finally, look at the micronutrients (such as fiber, vitamins, sodium, potassium, etc.) to see if sweet potatoes will help you maintain those goals; sweet potatoes are very high in vitamin A and potassium and quite low in sodium. Overall, sweet potatoes are a great choice.

    r7bsadc9fnk5.jpg
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Options
    Sure - just watch quantity. Good stuff!
  • midwest121
    midwest121 Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    I am starting to see now, wish I had known that before I brought some, seems to be a healthy cheat food item.
  • Rabidrunner
    Rabidrunner Posts: 117 Member
    Options
    I eat them, though sparingly. Steaming up a bunch now actually. I steam up a few, mash them and add curry powder (no sugar or salt) then pre-measure them into little half cup portions, which is a little less than 100 cal per serving. They freeze ok once cooked too. Fairly low GI and a great comfort food!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited December 2015
    Options
    midwest121 wrote: »
    I am starting to see now, wish I had known that before I brought some, seems to be a healthy cheat food item.

    How does this relate to the prior posts?

    Sweet potatoes have a decent amount of micronutrients for the calories and IMO are filling and tasty. They are also in season where I am now, so I have tons of them from my CSA. They and carrots were my main carb source today, fueled a nice long run quite well.
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
    Options
    no bad foods only bad feelings!
  • Rachel0778
    Rachel0778 Posts: 1,701 Member
    Options
    toe1226 wrote: »
    no bad foods only bad feelings!

    Yes! I love sweet potatoes so I eat them often (with peanut butter on top-try it before you knock it). But if I didn't love sweet potatoes I wouldn't eat them. It's all about your food preferences and what fits into your budget
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Options
    @midwest121

    You asked about sweet potatoes and said you bought some. I see that you logged yams in your Food Diary today. They are different foods and contain different Calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients.

    Which did you actually eat? See the below for a picture comparison and the nutrition comparison per 100g.

    18d9o00iebtx.jpg

    i9v7dpzyir4n.jpg

  • midwest121
    midwest121 Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    @CyberTone I ate yams today, but I have three sweet potatoes in the refrigerator, that I brought, I know they say regular potatoes are bad for you, so I wasn't for sure if sweet potatoes were bad for you, cause if they were I was just going to throw them out.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    Options
    midwest121 wrote: »
    @CyberTone I ate yams today, but I have three sweet potatoes in the refrigerator, that I brought, I know they say regular potatoes are bad for you, so I wasn't for sure if sweet potatoes were bad for you, cause if they were I was just going to throw them out.

    Who's "they"? Whoever it is, they're idiots who should be ignored. Potatoes are not bad for you unless you have some allergy or medical reason to avoid them.
  • shelleysykeskeene
    shelleysykeskeene Posts: 110 Member
    Options
    Oh my, I didn't know there was a difference! We get 'yams' in South Africa but they are called sweet potatoes here - the flesh is a whitish yellow colour and the skins are a purply brown colour. I must take a picture and submit so you guys can see. I think I will log my sweet potatoes as yams from now on to be on the safe side.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Options
    shelleysykeskeene wrote: »
    Oh my, I didn't know there was a difference! We get 'yams' in South Africa but they are called sweet potatoes here - the flesh is a whitish yellow colour and the skins are a purply brown colour. I must take a picture and submit so you guys can see. I think I will log my sweet potatoes as yams from now on to be on the safe side.

    There are many different varieties of sweet potatoes, with many different skin and flesh colors. It is most likely that you have been eating sweet potatoes and not yams. These are pictures of sweet potatoes.
    Reference: http://www.farm-fresh-produce.com/spvarieties.html

    pvkqgeql71sz.jpg





    Here is another picture of the difference between true yams and a sweet potato.

    dplfa8oqopn1.jpg
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    Options
    I've only recently started eating sweet potatoes and feeling GOOD about it. I, too, always thought they were one of those "bad for you" foods. Thankfully, I've learned otherwise. I like them plain (baked), but my favorite way is homemade veggie patties made with sweet potato and black beans and other yummy stuff. They're low cal and delicious. They freeze well and a great substitute for ground beef burgers.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    The ones in the US are generally sweet potatoes even though some people call them yams.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    Options
    I wrap several sweet potatoes in foil with a little salt and olive oil and throw them on the grill. Put them in the fridge (in foil) and eat for dinner each night. Pop on in the microwave with a little salt, cinnamon and fat free Pam butter spray. Yummy.
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
    Options
    Rachel0778 wrote: »
    toe1226 wrote: »
    no bad foods only bad feelings!

    Yes! I love sweet potatoes so I eat them often (with peanut butter on top-try it before you knock it). But if I didn't love sweet potatoes I wouldn't eat them. It's all about your food preferences and what fits into your budget

    Hmm, that did sound pretty gross but the more I think about it, the more I think it just might work. I'm really curious to try it now.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
    Options
    I make a gypsy stew (you can Google the one from the moosewood collection) that includes sweet potato. I think the problem comes in when folks eat huge ones topped with brown sugar. I also like peanut butter on either yams or sweet potatoes. A handful of blueberries on top is my new pbj. I eat 100-130 grams of carb per day, so I don't overdo. I'd rather spend my carb allowance on a vegetable than on a piece of bread.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    Good thing to understand is that no foods are innately more fattening than others, independent of the calories, although there are all sorts of silly myths that suggest otherwise. The effect on weight loss is going to depend on the total calories you consume and if eating them makes it harder to meet your calorie goals, because you don't find them filling -- which is going to vary person to person. I was just talking to someone who finds sandwiches far more filling than a salad, even with protein, for the same calories. I tend to be the opposite (but I can also fit a sandwich into my calorie goal if I feel like it). I think it's good to eat an overall healthful diet that meets nutrition concerns, of course, like adequate protein and vegetables and some healthy fats, but beyond that it's really about how much you like what you eat and how you respond to it.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Options
    The only travesty I see here is buying a sweet potato because one thinks it might be "good for you" and then throwing it out just in case it isn't.

    All potatoes, sweet or otherwise, are good for you. Vegetables that are orange or dark green (the deeper the color the better) have desired vitamins in them. But even regular potatoes are good.

    Google a roasted sweet potato recipe, and give it a try. Have it with a grilled chicken breast and wilted spinach, and you'll practically be in heaven you'll be so saintly.

Categories