Why sweet potatoes?
Ledgehanger
Posts: 125 Member
It seems like whenever I see lists of Paleo recipes, or eating suggestions, or... well, really just about any other discussion of Paleo eating, there is usually an emphasis on eating sweet potatoes.
Can somebody tell me why sweet potatoes are considered to be such a good thing on a paleo diet? It seems like they would be considered less than ideal due to their relatively high sugar content.
This isn't a life-changing issue to me. It's really just to satisfy my curiosity. I'm not looking to change my diet to add sweet potatoes - but rather to simply understand the reasoning behind it.
(Full disclosure: I am willing to eat just about anything that is considered edible, so I'm really not a picky eater. Sweet potatoes (and yams - are they different?), though, are the one food item that I detest to the point that I simply will not eat them. To be honest... you could tell me that adding sweet potatoes to my weekly diet regimen was guaranteed to extend my life by some number of years - and my reply would be that while I wasn't going to live as long, at least I would be happy. :laugh: )
Can somebody tell me why sweet potatoes are considered to be such a good thing on a paleo diet? It seems like they would be considered less than ideal due to their relatively high sugar content.
This isn't a life-changing issue to me. It's really just to satisfy my curiosity. I'm not looking to change my diet to add sweet potatoes - but rather to simply understand the reasoning behind it.
(Full disclosure: I am willing to eat just about anything that is considered edible, so I'm really not a picky eater. Sweet potatoes (and yams - are they different?), though, are the one food item that I detest to the point that I simply will not eat them. To be honest... you could tell me that adding sweet potatoes to my weekly diet regimen was guaranteed to extend my life by some number of years - and my reply would be that while I wasn't going to live as long, at least I would be happy. :laugh: )
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All you ever wanted to know about sweet potatoes/yams: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/difference-yams-sweet-potatoes/#axzz2t9v5zHX30
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Also yeah, if you're not into them I wouldn't worry about it. It's nice to eat some nutrient dense carbs on occasion, but your body can get all the nutrients from elsewhere, I think people just like having something sweet and carby to munch on, and this one at least packs a few vitamins and in a way that our blood sugar won't spike like crazy.0
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Also yeah, if you're not into them I wouldn't worry about it. It's nice to eat some nutrient dense carbs on occasion, but your body can get all the nutrients from elsewhere, I think people just like having something sweet and carby to munch on, and this one at least packs a few vitamins and in a way that our blood sugar won't spike like crazy.
Your blood sugar wouldn't spike anyways as comparable to someone who is diabetic or has insulin resistance.0 -
Agreed! As a diabetic certain Paleo approved foods can never be on my plate, especially sweet taters!0
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Sweet potatoes are in my "moderation only" foods. Yes, the sugar is high and it does affect me. A few people eat 100 grams of sugar or more per day and even when it's from sweet potatoes, Larabars, etc, I just can't quite think of it as ideal. However, some very active, athletic people can get away with it but I can't.0
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Agreed! As a diabetic certain Paleo approved foods can never be on my plate, especially sweet taters!
It's not my blood sugar that rejects sweet potatoes.
It's my tongue... :laugh:0 -
Agreed! As a diabetic certain Paleo approved foods can never be on my plate, especially sweet taters!
It's not my blood sugar that rejects sweet potatoes.
It's my tongue... :laugh:
I used to feel the same when people served them mushed up and smothered in sugar/syrup. But after deep frying them like french fries either with lard or duck fat and then sprinkling on sea salt; OMG.0 -
Agreed! As a diabetic certain Paleo approved foods can never be on my plate, especially sweet taters!
It's not my blood sugar that rejects sweet potatoes.
It's my tongue... :laugh:
I used to feel the same when people served them mushed up and smothered in sugar/syrup. But after deep frying them like french fries either with lard or duck fat and then sprinkling on sea salt; OMG.0 -
I think that they are just a non-grain source of carb that isn't a fruit and helps replace the white potato for those that think of them as overly starchy. I don't get it myself. I love and eat sweet potatoes because they taste good, are easy to grow, store well, and are full of vitamin A. Sweet potatoes even have a higher glycemic load per 100g than say apples. Basically, I wouldn't worry about them if you don't like them.
Yams and sweet potato are not the same though, they are in totally different botanical families. Yams are in Dioscoreaceae and native to Africa and Asia while sweet potatoes are in Convolvulacea and native to Central and South America. Yams are not common in the U.S
This is a yam.
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...Now I'm confused. In NZ yams are small little wrinkly tubers which apparently are also know as are oca. So my question is ....is oca or nz yams acceptable paleo food? I can't seem to find any info on it.0
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...Now I'm confused. In NZ yams are small little wrinkly tubers which apparently are also know as are oca. So my question is ....is oca or nz yams acceptable paleo food? I can't seem to find any info on it.
A quick google search of "oca tuber" shows that you might be referring to Oxalis tuberosa which is different than both yams and sweet potatoes, and is in a family apart from either of the previously mentioned tuber. One of many edible tubers.0 -
^^^ yeah I know I eat them all the time, they are one of my favourite foods and I hate that they have such a short season of availability. But I just was thinking that I assumed them to be paleo and never bothered to check...so does anyone know?0
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^^^ yeah I know I eat them all the time, they are one of my favourite foods and I hate that they have such a short season of availability. But I just was thinking that I assumed them to be paleo and never bothered to check...so does anyone know?
Yes they are Paleo and Whole 30 approved.0 -
Thanks....I'll go back to cramming them in my face
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If you don't like them, then don't eat them! There is no need to eat something you don't like. If you need a starch source, there are other ways to get it. I like green plantain myself...mmmmmm!0
