Sweet Potatoes: Top Carb for Weight Loss

Some might think the words weight loss and potatoes don't go hand in hand.

But, it is important to remember that we need a moderate amount of healthy carbohydrates to keep weight loss going.

A sweet potato at dinnertime can help to balance the meal, add nutrition, and keep you feeling full and satisfied.

How Many Carbohydrates in a Sweet Potato

1 Medium Size (2" x 5"): 103 calories, 24 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber

1 Cup (about 200 g): 180 calories, 41 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber

What's amazing about sweet potatoes is that they have high fiber content. Technically, you can subtract the grams of fiber from the total amount of carbohydrates to get an idea of the net grams of carbohydrates that we use for energy. We can not process fiber for energy, meaning, we can not turn fiber into calories.

Sound confusing?

41 g - 7 g fiber= 34 g net carbohydrates

When compared to russet white potatoes, sweet potatoes can sometimes contain double the amount of fiber.

Added Nutritional Benefits

• Vitamin A: 1 cup of a cooked sweet potato can get you all the vitamin A you need in the day, times 4!
• Vitamin C and Manganese: An excellent source.
• Glycemic Index of about 50: This means sweet potatoes are a good choice for those trying to maintain more even blood glucose levels. Maintaining balanced blood glucose will help to keep hunger levels calm and energy high.

• Full of antioxidants: Sporamins, anthocyanins, and carotenoids are just some of the names of the main antioxidants.

  Don't forget to eat the skin since more of the fiber and antioxidant benefits are found in and around the skin.

  Purple sweet potatoes contain even more powerful antioxidants.

• Increased adiponectin in the body: Some research has shown that sweet potatoes can help to increase the hormone, adiponectin, which will help to mobilize fat in the body.

It is a better choice to go ahead and eat the nutrient-packed sweet potato then to worry about the carbohydrate content and miss out on all the health benefits.

Quick Cooking Tips

When selecting at the store, sweet potatoes and yams (in America) are the same vegetable at most every grocery store. When they originated, sweet potatoes were different from yams, but now we use the terms interchangeably when referring to the likely orange root vegetable.

• Microwave for 2-5 minutes, and then cook in an oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes on 350-400 F.
• Slice into large cubes and roast with 2 Tbsp. olive oil for about 35 minutes at 400 F.
• Add to soups or stews.
• Make your own sweet potato fries.

Do you eat sweet potatoes? If so, how do you enjoy them?


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