Sweet potatoes are not only a nutritious food, but their leaves and stems are also edible and beneficial for health.
Raw Sweet Potatoes Detoxify the Blood, Cooked Sweet Potatoes Nourish the Blood White-skinned sweet potatoes are great for the skin. Those with rough skin can achieve smoother skin by regularly consuming white sweet potatoes.
Red-skinned, red-fleshed sweet potatoes are highly nutritious, supporting blood and energy. They offer benefits similar to red dates, but unlike red dates, sweet potatoes are less prone to mold.
Women with pale complexions can eat more sweet potatoes to improve their skin’s rosy glow.
Tip: Chewing raw sweet potatoes thoroughly and applying the pulp to ulcers can relieve pain, especially with white sweet potatoes due to their anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties.
Sweet potatoes also support the spleen and stomach. Children with weak digestive systems should consume sweet potatoes for nourishment. If the child is healthy, sweet potatoes can be enjoyed naturally. They help regulate digestion, with boiled sweet potatoes aiding constipation and baked ones relieving alcohol-induced diarrhea.
Sweet Potato Stems Help Lower Blood Sugar Many are unaware that sweet potato stems are edible and recognized as health food. Diabetics can benefit from eating sweet potato stems, which help lower blood sugar levels.
These stems also aid in detoxifying and managing intestinal inflammation, skin redness, and ulcers. Boiling water with old sweet potato stems can alleviate stomach discomfort from eating unclean food, and mashed leaves can reduce skin swelling and draw out pus.
Eating Sweet Potatoes with the Skin Prevents Bloating While some avoid eating sweet potato skin, it’s actually very nutritious.
The skin and flesh of sweet potatoes form a yin-yang pair. The flesh is “nourishing,” supporting the spleen and stomach, while the skin is “detoxifying,” aiding digestion. If you experience bloating or acid reflux from eating sweet potatoes, the skin can help resolve these issues.
However, avoid consuming sweet potato skins if they have black or brown spots, as this indicates mold.
Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes:
1. Weight Loss
Modern diets high in fat, dairy, and meat, combined with little exercise, can lead to obesity. Sweet potatoes, being low in fat and calories, can create a sense of fullness, making them ideal for weight loss.
A mere 100 grams of fresh sweet potatoes contain only 0.2 grams of fat and provide 99 kcal of energy—about one-third of the calories in rice. As a staple food, they can reduce the intake of other high-calorie foods.
Additionally, sweet potatoes prevent sugar from converting into fat, promoting healthier skin.
2. Beauty and Skin Care
Sweet potatoes have estrogen-like substances that help reduce fat accumulation, soften the skin, and prevent wrinkles, enhancing beauty and skin health.
Rich in vitamins, proteins, lysine, and other nutrients, sweet potatoes boost the immune system, promoting better health and longevity.
3. Preventing High Cholesterol
Sweet potatoes are ten times more effective in suppressing cholesterol than other foods, making them beneficial for those with high cholesterol.
4. Regulating Blood Sugar
Research shows that white sweet potatoes improve insulin sensitivity and help control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.
5. Lowering Blood Pressure
Sweet potatoes’ high potassium content contributes to their anti-hypertensive effects. Potassium promotes the excretion of excess sodium, helping balance minerals in the body and lowering blood pressure.
6. Reducing Stroke Risk
With high potassium and low sodium content, sweet potatoes can reduce the risk of stroke by 20%, according to research.
7. Nourishing Joints
Rich in mucin, sweet potatoes support joint health.
