How to cook sweet potatoes in a healthy way while preserving all their properties

Discover all the health benefits of sweet potatoes, a food with a characteristic sweet taste that will boost your energy and that is very rich in fibre, vitamins, and essential minerals.

Sweet potatoes are a food that boosts our energy. With a soft texture, orange colour, and sweet taste, they are very interesting from a gastronomic point of view as they can be used both for savoury and sweet recipes. They can also be a starter, the main ingredient of a main dish, a delicious side dish, and even a dessert. Their versatility and high nutritional value make sweet potatoes a very healthy option suitable for all kinds of diets, from therapeutic ones to those aimed at keeping our scales in check.

As Marina Domene, nutritionist at SHA Wellness Clinic, tells us, ‘Sweet potatoes have many nutritional properties that are very beneficial for our health. Like potatoes, they are tubers but are richer in nutrients and, unlike potatoes, do not contain solanine, a substance that can cause inflammatory reactions. Sweet potatoes are a great source of starchy carbohydrates and, therefore, energy, making them perfect for athletes. If we cook them, let them cool and then reheat them, this produces a type of fibre called resistant starch, which has a prebiotic effect that helps balance intestinal microbiota and reduces the glycaemic index of meals. They also provide essential minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium, which contribute to the correct functioning of our nervous and muscular systems; and folic acid, which is why they are recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women. They are a powerful antioxidant because they have a high content of vitamins A and C, and, as they are rich in fibre, they are very filling and can easily be included in any programme focused on weight loss or weight control. They are also a comfort food that helps to warm our body during the winter and are very good for the intestines, which is why people with digestive conditions, such as Crohn’s disease or colitis, can and should eat them’.

Sweet potatoes can be cooked in a thousand different ways: steamed, baked, grilled, boiled, roasted, in soups or purées, etc. In fact, except raw, they can be eaten in almost any way. Moreover, their characteristic sweet taste makes them a very healthy alternative to using flour in baking recipes.

Now that you know everything that sweet potatoes can do for your health and your palate, we invite you to make these two healthy, balanced recipes at home that will boost your energy:

• Steamed sweet potato with apple: Click here
• Roasted sweet potato wraps: Click here