The sweet potato is versatile and can be eaten as a healthy snack or added to dishes, like soups and casseroles, in bread recipes and even smoothies. But it's also misunderstood.
Myth: A sweet potato is an orange potato.
Fact: Even though both the potato and sweet potato originated from Central and South America, they are actually not related. They come from different families, with the potato coming from the nightshade and the sweet potato from the morning glory family.
Myth: Sweet potatoes are yams.
Fact: Yams and sweet potatoes are not the same vegetable and they have different tastes. Back in the 1930s, “yams” was used as a marketing term for sweet potatoes and still to this day, you might find the two mislabeled in stores. They’re grown from different families, with yams coming from the same family as grasses and palms. Sweet potatoes are typically grown in the U.S. while yams are imported.
Myth: The sweet potato is all starch and doesn’t contain many nutrients.
Fact: The sweet potato is an excellent source of vitamins A and C and a good source of vitamin B6, potassium and manganese. One medium sweet potato contains only 100 calories. Also, the fiber content is 15 percent of the daily value along with 16 percent for vitamin B6, 15 percent potassium, 28 percent manganese and 10 percent pantothenic acid. These vegetables are an excellent source of vitamin A (438 percent of the daily value) and vitamin C (37 percent of the daily value) and contain no saturated or trans-fat or cholesterol.
Myth: The outer skin of sweet potatoes are found in only one color.
Fact: The outer skin is found in more than one color. Different varieties of sweet potatoes skin are found in yellow, purple, brown or white. The flesh can vary from orange to white to purple.
Myth: Sweet potatoes must be refrigerated.
Fact: Sweet potatoes don’t need to be refrigerated. If stored in a cool, dark place, they should be used within a week. If stored in ideal conditions including a dry, dark place and around 55 degrees F, sweet potatoes can be stored for three to four weeks.
SWEET POTATO TREAT
1 sweet potato, medium
Brown sugar, 1 teaspoon
Butter, 1 tablespoon, melted
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce sweet potato with a fork multiple times. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes. Cut the sweet potato in half and then drizzle with butter and sprinkle brown sugar on top.
Nutritional information per serving: 214 calories, 26.5 g carbohydrates, 11.6 g total fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 2.4 g protein, 3.8 g dietary fiber, 122.4 mg sodium.
Corinne Labyak, a registered dietitian nutritionist and associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program at the University of North Florida. Contact her at c.labyak@unf.edu.
