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- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin A
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin B-6
- Linus Pauling Institute: Pantothenic Acid
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What Vitamins Do Sweet Potatoes Have?
A part of the starchy vegetables food subgroup -- a classification that also includes potatoes and lima beans -- sweet potatoes make a welcome addition to a balanced diet. They come loaded with beneficial fiber, manganese, copper and potassium to help support your health. Sweet potatoes also serve as excellent sources of vitamin A and provide smaller amounts of other essential vitamins.
Vitamin A
Sweet potatoes owe their rich orange hue to beta-carotene, a nutrient that your body converts to vitamin A 1. Just a single 1-cup serving of sweet potatoes -- a serving roughly equivalent to one 5-inch sweet potato -- contains 18,869 international units of vitamin A, or more than your entire daily vitamin A needs. Your body uses vitamin A to control gene activity, a process central to cell growth, and to maintain healthy vision. Including sweet potatoes in your diet fights vitamin A deficiency, a condition associated with night blindness.
- Sweet potatoes owe their rich orange hue to beta-carotene, a nutrient that your body converts to vitamin A 1.
- Your body uses vitamin A to control gene activity, a process central to cell growth, and to maintain healthy vision.
Vitamin B-5
Vitamins in Whole Wheat
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Include sweet potatoes in your diet, and you'll also consume more vitamin B-5, or pantothenic acid 4. Each cup of sweet potatoes boasts 1.06 milligrams of pantothenic acid, which contributes 21 percent toward your recommended daily B-5 intake 4. Your body uses vitamin B-5 to make steroid hormones -- a hormone family that includes progesterone, testosterone and estrogen -- as well as cholesterol. It also aids in the production of myelin, a component of healthy nerve tissue, and plays a role in cell communication.
Vitamin B-6
Sweet potatoes also provide a moderate amount of vitamin B-6 1. The vitamin B-6 in your system helps you produce glucose -- the primary source of fuel for your brain -- and activates enzymes needed for cellular metabolism. Getting enough vitamin B-6 also supports oxygen circulation because it aids in the development of oxygen-transporting red blood cells. A cup of sweet potatoes provides you with 278 micrograms of vitamin B-6, or 21 percent of your recommended daily intake.
- Sweet potatoes also provide a moderate amount of vitamin B-6 1.
- Getting enough vitamin B-6 also supports oxygen circulation because it aids in the development of oxygen-transporting red blood cells.
Serving Tips and Suggestions
Nutrition in Red Peppers
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Sweet potatoes' starchy texture stands up well to baking and roasting. Try chopping sweet potatoes into cubes, coat them lightly with a mixture of olive oil and cayenne pepper and then roast until tender for a healthful side dish. Cut sweet potatoes into wedges and bake to make oven "fries." Alternatively, you can bake sweet potatoes whole -- try topping them with cottage cheese and steamed vegetables for a protein-packed side dish.
- Sweet potatoes' starchy texture stands up well to baking and roasting.
- Alternatively, you can bake sweet potatoes whole -- try topping them with cottage cheese and steamed vegetables for a protein-packed side dish.
Related Articles
References
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Sweet Potatoes, Raw, Unprepared
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin A
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin B-6
- Linus Pauling Institute: Pantothenic Acid
- USDA ChooseMyPlate: What Foods Are in the Vegetable Group?
- Sweet potato, raw, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program). FoodData Central. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published April 1, 2019.
- Bahado-Singh PS, Riley CK, Wheatley AO, Lowe HI. Relationship between processing method and the glycemic indices of ten sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivars commonly consumed in Jamaica. J Nutr Metab. 2011;2011:584832. doi:10.1155/2011/584832
- Sugata M, Lin CY, Shih YC. Anti-Inflammatory and anticancer activities of Taiwanese purple-fleshed sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) extracts. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:768093. doi:10.1155/2015/768093
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A fact sheet for health professionals. Updated February 14, 2020.
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Potassium fact sheet for health professionals. Updated June 3, 2020.
- American Diabetes Association. Diabetes superfoods.
- Food allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Updated 2014.
- Can eating too many carrots turn your skin orange?. Cleveland Clinic. Updated 2019.
- Types of sweet potatoes. Berkeley Wellness. University of California. Updated 2015.
Writer Bio
Sylvie Tremblay holds a Master of Science in molecular and cellular biology and has years of experience as a cancer researcher and neuroscientist.