Sweet potatoes may be most popular at holiday times, but these naturally sweet vegetables can be healthy snacks or additions to your meal at any time of the year. Your recipe or cooking method affects the total nutritional value of your meal, and boiled or baked sweet potatoes are healthier than candied or fried. A medium potato is about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide.
Basic Information
A medium sweet potato weighs 114 g, or about 4 oz. It has 103 calories, almost no fat and 2 g protein. Sweet potatoes are cholesterol-free. Along with choices such as carrots, winter squash, tomatoes and pumpkin, sweet potatoes count toward recommendations for a 2,000-calorie diet to include 5-1/2 cups per week of red and orange vegetables, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Potassium and Sodium
A medium sweet potato provides 542 mg of potassium, which is comparable to other good sources such as 1/2 cup of tomato puree, 3 oz. of clams and a cup of yogurt or orange juice, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A diet with at least 4,700 mg potassium and no more than 2,300 mg sodium helps regulate your blood pressure. Sweet potatoes are low in sodium, with only 41 mg each.
Vitamins A and C
A medium sweet potato provides 21,909 international units, or IU, of vitamin A. This is 438 percent of the daily value for vitamin A, which is essential for healthy vision. Some of the vitamin A in sweet potatoes is in the form of beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant and is the pigment that gives the sweet potato its orange color, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Sweet potatoes have 22 mg of vitamin C, or 37 percent of the daily value.
Carbohydrates
A medium sweet potato provides 24 g total carbohydrates, including 7 g natural sugars and 8 g starch. It also has 3.8 g dietary fiber, or 15 percent of the daily value. Dietary fiber is slow to digest, and a high-fiber diet can help you control your weight by suppressing your hunger, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Fiber also lowers your cholesterol levels and reduces your risk of developing constipation.
Member Comments