The Vital Vittle
By Maureen Lauder
Food of the Week: Sweet Potatoes
Ah, the sweet potato! King of comfort foods! In addition to being sweet and tasty, sweet potatoes are–you guessed it-healthy, healthy, healthy. Here are five reasons why:
1) Sweet potatoes are a tremendous source of beta-carotene and vitamin C, both of which are antioxidants that help eliminate free radicals from the body.whole and halved sweet potatoes
2) Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6, which can help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
3) The vitamin A in sweet potatoes (and there’s a lot of vitamin A in there!) may help improve lung health. Studies have shown that one of the carcinogens in cigarette smoke induces a vitamin A deficiency. Foods rich in vitamin A can help counteract this.
4) Vitamins A and C have anti-inflammatory properties and can thus help reduce the symptoms of conditions like asthma and arthritis.
5) Sweet potatoes are good sources of important minerals, including manganese, copper, potassium, and iron. They’re also high in fiber!
I Yam What I Yam
In North America, we tend to falsely distinguish between sweet potatoes and yams. The vegetable that we often call a yam, however, is simply another variety of sweet potato. Sweet potatoes can vary in size and shape, and their flesh ranges from white to yellow to orange.
True yams and sweet potatoes are only distantly related. Sweet potatoes are native to the Americas and have been a staple in this hemisphere for thousands of years. Yams, which are native to Africa, are much less sweet and taste distinctly different.
Sweet Potato Goodies
Sweet potatoes make a good base for salads, soups, and puddings.
Try out Tera’s Sweet Potato Dream Pudding: a grated sweet potato, a dash of vanilla, a little cinnamon, 2 T of coconut butter, and some raisins or dates, all blended smooth.
Or quell your potato chip cravings with dehydrated sweet potato chips: Slice the potatoes as thin as you can (a spiral slicer or mandoline works best), brush on some oil and/or lemon juice, and sprinkle with salt, cayenne pepper, or any other seasoning that sounds good. Dehydrate until crispy.
Showing posts with label healthy: vitamin A. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy: vitamin A. Show all posts
Friday, February 6, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Top Food Sources of Vitamin A: For Healthy Vision
Top Food Sources of Vitamin A: For Healthy Vision
By Kaitlyn Dreyling
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/vitamin-a-44010609?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr&kw=ist
The Health Benefits of Vitamin A
In addition to helping your vision, vitamin A helps promote bone growth, a healthy reproductive system and a strong immune system. It's a powerful antioxidant.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for adult men is 900 mg and 700 mg for adult women.
Here are the top 9 food sources for vitamin A, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- - -
1. Carrots
The reliable carrot is the No. 1 source of this essential nutrient.
Whether you like to eat or drink your carrots, this root vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin A. A three-quarter cup of carrot juice has 1,692 mg of the nutrient and 71 calories. Half a cup of cooked carrots has 671 mg of vitamin A and just 27 calories.
- - -
2. Sweet Potatoes
One medium sweet potato has 1,096 mg of vitamin A and 103 calories – just don't forget to eat the skin too!
- - -
3. Pumpkins
If you shy away from the dessert tray, here’s a reason to eat more pumpkin pie! Half a cup of canned pumpkin has 953 mg of vitamin A and only 42 calories.
- - -
4. Spinach
It may not have the yellow or orange color that's the hallmark of the most vitamin A-rich veggies, but one half cup of spinach offers a healthy 573 mg of vitamin A and only 30 calories.
- - -
5. Collards
These leafy greens have 489 mg of vitamin A and just 31 calories in one half a cup
- - -
6. Kale
Another leafy vegetable high in vitamin A, kale has 478 mg of the nutrient and 20 calories per half cup serving.
- - -
7. Turnip Greens
The greens on this common root vegetable are just as edible as they are nutritious. Half a cup of turnip greens have 441 mg of vitamin A and 24 calories -- and with vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and calcium as well, they're far more nutritious than the turnip itself. Try young leaves as an accent to a salad, or boil twice, replacing the water in between, to serve as a side dish.
- - -
8. Beet Greens
These greens have 276 mg of vitamin A and 19 calories per half a cup. Like turnip greens, you can find these at your local farmers' market (or you can grow them yourself). They can often be substituted in recipes for collards.
- - -
9. Winter Squash
Packed with almost as much vitamin A as turnip and beet greens -- but far more palatable to most casual eaters -- winter squash is a delicious source of nutrition.
By Kaitlyn Dreyling
http://www.thedailygreen.com/
The Health Benefits of Vitamin A
In addition to helping your vision, vitamin A helps promote bone growth, a healthy reproductive system and a strong immune system. It's a powerful antioxidant.
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for adult men is 900 mg and 700 mg for adult women.
Here are the top 9 food sources for vitamin A, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- - -
1. Carrots
The reliable carrot is the No. 1 source of this essential nutrient.
Whether you like to eat or drink your carrots, this root vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin A. A three-quarter cup of carrot juice has 1,692 mg of the nutrient and 71 calories. Half a cup of cooked carrots has 671 mg of vitamin A and just 27 calories.
- - -
2. Sweet Potatoes
One medium sweet potato has 1,096 mg of vitamin A and 103 calories – just don't forget to eat the skin too!
- - -
3. Pumpkins
If you shy away from the dessert tray, here’s a reason to eat more pumpkin pie! Half a cup of canned pumpkin has 953 mg of vitamin A and only 42 calories.
- - -
4. Spinach
It may not have the yellow or orange color that's the hallmark of the most vitamin A-rich veggies, but one half cup of spinach offers a healthy 573 mg of vitamin A and only 30 calories.
- - -
5. Collards
These leafy greens have 489 mg of vitamin A and just 31 calories in one half a cup
- - -
6. Kale
Another leafy vegetable high in vitamin A, kale has 478 mg of the nutrient and 20 calories per half cup serving.
- - -
7. Turnip Greens
The greens on this common root vegetable are just as edible as they are nutritious. Half a cup of turnip greens have 441 mg of vitamin A and 24 calories -- and with vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and calcium as well, they're far more nutritious than the turnip itself. Try young leaves as an accent to a salad, or boil twice, replacing the water in between, to serve as a side dish.
- - -
8. Beet Greens
These greens have 276 mg of vitamin A and 19 calories per half a cup. Like turnip greens, you can find these at your local farmers' market (or you can grow them yourself). They can often be substituted in recipes for collards.
- - -
9. Winter Squash
Packed with almost as much vitamin A as turnip and beet greens -- but far more palatable to most casual eaters -- winter squash is a delicious source of nutrition.
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