Just How Healthy Are Sweet Potatoes

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I look around my office filled with competitors, bodybuilders, weekend warriors, and your plain ol' average joes and I notice at lunch time, about 90% of the people are eating sweet potatoes. When you work in a health conscious environment, you start noticing the gym routines, the eating habits, and the little tips and tricks others use to live healthier. And then you find yourself adapting these new habits. 

My mom used to make sweet potatoes and I never really cared for them when I was younger. But my tastes have changed so I looked up recipes and found some easy ones. Now I'm hooked on sweet potatoes and you should be too! Here's why...

An average size sweet potato has about 100 calories, up to 4 grams of fiber, and 20 grams of carbs. They are great source of Vitamin A, B6, C, and D, manganese, potassium, and beta-carotene. And their antioxidant properties protect against cell damage. Other more surprising benefits are that sweet potatoes help control blood sugar levels and reduce inflammation.

So when you want to add a starch to your next meal, skip the Idaho potato and go straight for the sweet potato. It's like the brown rice to the white rice. Here are some of my favorite recipes that are super easy to make:

Roasted Nutmeg Sweet Potatoes

3 Sweet potatoes

2 tbsp melted butter (or margarine)

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg

Sea salt, to taste

Heat oven to 400° F. Chop sweet potatoes into chunks or cubes and add to non-stick baking sheet. In a bowl, combine melted butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Brush mixture onto potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.

Grilled Cilantro-Lime Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes

Sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tsp lime juice

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tbps olive oil

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Place the potatoes in a large pot of boiling water and cook until fork tender.  Let cool, then slice each potato into eights lengthwise. Preheat grill to medium heat. Mix 1 tablespoon salt, lime juice, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Brush the potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook on the grill until all sides are golden brown and cooked through (about 3-4 minutes each side including the skin). Remove from grill and sprinkle with lime-salt mixture and chopped cilantro.