Sweet Potatoes For Weight Loss: 12 Reasons Why You Must Include This Superfood In Your Diet

Sweet potatoes are great for improving gut health and heart health

Sweet potatoes are rich in fibre and sweet to taste. Unlike the common misconception, sweet potatoes can indeed help you with weight loss. They can be eaten as both pre-workout and post-workout snack. If there is a superfood that must be a part of your diet, it is sweet potatoes. A starchy, sweet-tasting root vegetable, sweet potatoes are a rich source fibre. They are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants beneficial for your health. Highlighting the importance of including sweet potatoes in diet is lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho on Facebook. He talks about potatoes are linked to gain of weight and fat, but that is not entirely true. A lot of people eat potatoes regularly and are not fat, and this is only because of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle.

Weight loss diet: Health benefits of sweet potatoes and why you must eat them regularly 

Sweet potatoes is a root tuber. It has a sweet taste because of maltose, a kind of sugar in sweet potatoes.

1. Sweet potatoes are undoubtedly a superfood. It is inexpensive and easily available. It should be a part of your diet if it suits you, recommends lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho.

Sweet potatoes are inexpensive and easily available
Photo Credit: iStock

2. Sweet potatoes contain anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are referred to the naturally occurring pigments. They are a sub-category of polyphenols- a group of flavonoids. Luke informs that anthocyanins play an important role in boosting your immunity, preventing and healing cancer, stem cell regeneration, DNA protection and heart health.

Also read: Here's Why You Should Choose Sweet Potatoes Over Regular Potatoes

3. Fibre-rich sweet potatoes are good for microbiome of the gut. Fibre and antioxidants in sweet potatoes can repopulate microbiome of gut and improve gut health.

4. Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium. This makes them an amazing food for people with high blood pressure as potassium negates the effect of sodium. High sodium levels can be dangerous for people with high blood pressure. Sweet potatoes are also rich in magnesium, another important micronutrient for high blood pressure patients.

5. This makes sweet potatoes heart-friendly.

6. The tuber is also a rich source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B5 and B7.

7. Gut health benefits of sweet potatoes make them great for giving a boost to digestion. Including it in your diet can reduce indigestion, acidity, bloating and flatulence.

Also read: This Fibre-Rich Snack Can Help You Lose Weight; Even Better It Can Manage High Blood Pressure

8. Sweet potatoes are also be known to be healing foods. Luke informs that athletes often eat sweet potatoes before and after their workout, and even with their main meals.

You can eat sweet potatoes as a pre-workout and post-workout snack
Photo Credit: iStock

9. Sweet potatoes can be included in weight loss diet. They can work as great pre-workout snack as well. You can have a small bowl of sweet potatoes along with some nuts and seeds half an hour or one hour before your workout to feel energetic and pumped up. The same meal can also be consumed for recover after a workout.

10. Sweet potatoes are rich in Vitamin A, which makes it great for your eyes.

11. Women who have fertility issues can benefit by including sweet potatoes in your diet. Other fertility boosting foods include avocado and extra virgin olive oil.

12. Antioxidants and anthocyanins are great for your brain health as well.

Also read: These Two Foods Should Definitely Be In Your Diet If You Are On A Weight Loss Program

(Luke Coutinho, Holistic Lifestyle Coach - Integrative Medicine)

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