SWEET POTATOES

All about Sweet Potato

Looking to feed your family more vegetables? Try sweet potato. Your kids will love the sweet taste and fun colour. Sweet potatoes can be used instead of regular potatoes in most recipes. Here are some tasty ideas to enjoy sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are a nutritious choice

• Sweet potatoes have 10 times more vitamin A than regular white potatoes.
• Sweet potatoes contain carotenoids. Carotenoids are phytonutrients that may help reduce the risk of eye disease, some cancers and heart disease. Foods that are brightly coloured, such as dark green, orange, yellow and red vegetables and fruit, contain carotenoids.
• Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are a low glycemic food. These types of foods can help people living with diabetes, or who are at risk for diabetes, control blood sugars.
• A medium sweet potato with the skin on has 4 grams of fibre and no fat.
• Canada’s Food Guide recommends we eat one orange vegetable, like sweet potato, every day.
• Sweet potatoes are part of the Vegetables and Fruit food group within Canada’s Food Guide. A serving is 125 mL (½ cup) or ½ a medium potato.

Buy it best

• Choose small to medium-size firm sweet potatoes with smooth skin and no bruises or cracks.
• Look for frozen varieties with less fat and no salt (sodium).
• Pre-bagged sweet potatoes may be a better buy than individual pieces.
• Ontario sweet potatoes are in season all year round.

Store it right

Keep sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place. Use within a week. Do not refrigerate. Handle with care as they bruise easily.

Tips for Cooking

• Before using, scrub sweet potatoes with a produce brush while rinsing under cool water. Cut off any bruised parts.
• For added fibre, leave the skin on. Just like regular potatoes, you can eat the skin.
• Cooking releases the sweetness and wonderful taste. Choose low fat cooking methods such as grilling, stir frying, roasting, steaming, boiling, sautéing or cooking in the microwave.

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