How cool is it that sweet-tasting vegetables have a gorgeous orange glow and are even beneficial to our health? Even vegetable fans will be licking their lips. Here’s how you can make delicious and healthy snacks from sweet potatoes in a flash and what distinguishes the exotic tuber from domestic potatoes.
What’s the difference between sweet potatoes and potatoes?
Did you know that sweet potatoes aren’t related to our potatoes? They are not nightshade plants but belong to the bindweed family and have similar flowers to field bindweed. The taste of sweet potatoes is more reminiscent of pumpkin. Unlike potatoes, you can eat the sweet tubers raw. And even the leaves are edible, though you can hardly get them in our country.
Super tuber with valuable nutrients
It is not just a matter of color; our potatoes seem paler than the sweet, super tubers. Sweet potatoes have more to offer in almost everything: more carbohydrates, logically more sugar, and fibre. In addition to making you feel warm and complete, they also have a sweet flavor. With only a bit of fat but plenty of fat-soluble vitamin E, 100 g of sweet potatoes cover one-third of the daily requirement of vitamin E. And they provide twice as much vitamin C as potatoes. As the rich orange colour suggests, sweet potatoes are also packed with carotenoids, valuable plant pigments that can protect our body cells. However, with their cornucopia of valuable nutrients, sweet potatoes also have a third more calories.
More sugar, but less blood sugar rise
Would you have guessed that sweet potatoes do not cause blood sugar levels to rise as quickly, even though they contain more sugar than regular potatoes? Cooked sweet potatoes often have a glycemic index below 55, which is in the recommended range. However, this also depends on the variety and preparation.
Sweet potato is excellent for quick snacks
It looks good, tastes delicious and is healthy, but did you know it can be prepared quickly? Unlike our local potatoes, sweet potatoes can be quickly cooked in the microwave. Wrap the tuber in a wet paper towel before cooking it in the microwave for about 15 minutes on full power. Once you have cut it lengthwise, add butter, salt, pepper, or a hot sauce and have a quick meal!
Sweet potato toast is just as quick. Cut sweet potatoes into even slices half an inch thick and toast twice in a toaster oven on speed 4 (about two-thirds power). You can eat the sweet potato toast with butter, cheese or spicy cream cheese as a small snack between meals.
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