Sweet potatoes are more than a colorful addition to your plate. These orange, white, or purple root vegetables deliver a powerful boost of nutrients, antioxidants, and wellness benefits. They taste great, cook easily, and support many parts of your health.
Grown around the world and sold fresh or canned, sweet potatoes are easy to find and simple to prepare. Choose darker varieties when shopping — deeper colors usually mean higher nutritional value.
You can bake, roast, steam, or boil sweet potatoes. Serve them whole, mashed, sliced, or mixed into healthy meals and holiday recipes. Adding them to your diet may bring these six impressive benefits.
1. Packed With Nutrients
Sweet potatoes offer a strong mix of vitamins and minerals. They are rich in vitamins A, C, and B6. They also contain fiber, protein, manganese, copper, potassium, and pantothenic acid.
Orange and purple varieties are loaded with carotenoids. These antioxidants help protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals.
2. Supports Digestive Health
Sweet potatoes contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Your body cannot digest these fibers, so they stay in your system and help prevent constipation.
Fiber-rich diets may also lower the risk of colon cancer. A 2018 study found that antioxidants in sweet potatoes support healthy gut bacteria. These “good bacteria” may reduce the chance of IBS and digestive infections.
3. May Improve Heart Health
The potassium in sweet potatoes plays a key role in controlling blood pressure. It helps your body balance sodium levels, which supports heart health.
Sweet potatoes may also help reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. This may lower your risk of heart disease over time.
4. Helpful for People With Diabetes
Although they are a carbohydrate, sweet potatoes can be a smart option for people managing diabetes. Their fiber content helps slow the rise of blood sugar.
A small serving—about one-third of a cup—provides enough fiber to support stable glucose levels. Keeping portions small and pairing sweet potatoes with protein can prevent blood sugar spikes.
5. Strengthens the Immune System
The beta carotene that gives sweet potatoes their bright orange color converts into vitamin A in the body. This vitamin is essential for strong immune function.
Sweet potatoes offer more than 100% of your daily vitamin A needs. Vitamin A also supports gut health, which plays a major role in immune strength.
Studies show that low vitamin A levels can increase inflammation in the intestines and weaken the body’s antibody response. Eating foods rich in vitamin A may help reverse these effects.
6. Boosts Eye Health and Vision
Vitamin A is also crucial for healthy eyes. The beta carotene in sweet potatoes helps prevent dry eyes, supports night vision, and reduces the risk of eye infections.
Many health experts call beta carotene the “color of health,” and sweet potatoes are one of the richest sources.
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