While sweet potatoes’ name may leave you believing that they’re primarily sugar and starch, the reality is that the tuber is chock-full of nutrients. In fact, the might sweet potato has so many health benefits that you’ll be hard up to find a dietitian who won’t sing its praises. Whether you like to enjoy your sweet potatoes baked, mashed, or straight from the air fryer, anytime you incorporate them into your meal you’ll be getting a wide range of nutrients that benefit the entire body—including your brain. Keep reading to find out exactly why sweet potatoes are so good for you. Plus, see how they compare to white potatoes when it comes to nutrition.
Sweet potato nutrition facts
Before we get into the benefits, here’s a run-down of the nutrients that are in one sweet potato, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
Calories: 112Protein: 2 gCarbohydrates: 26 gFiber: 4 gCalcium: 39 mgMagnesium: 32 gPhosphorus: 61 gPotassium: 438 mgVitamin C: 2.5 mgFolate: 14: µgCholine: 16 mgVitamin A: 922 µgCarotene, beta: 11,100 µgCarotene, alpha: 9.1 µg
What are the health benefits of sweet potatoes?
Next, let’s look at what the health benefits of sweet potatoes are:
1. They help provide the body with energy
Registered dietitian Amy Schwarz, RD, CDN, says that one common misconception about sweet potatoes is that they’re too high in carbohydrates to be considered healthy. This, she says, is a total myth. “First and foremost, carbs are not bad for you,” she says. “Carbs are necessary for energy.” Schwarz says that sweet potatoes are an especially great source of energy because they pair carbs with many other nutrients the body needs.
2. Sweet potatoes are good for your gut
With 4 grams of fiber each, registered dietitian Alex Aldeborgh, RD, says sweet potatoes are great for digestive health. (She adds that the average person should aim to get between 25 and 38 grams of fiber a day.) “Fiber contributes to good health in a variety of ways: It promotes digestive health and bowel regularity. It also serves as food for the good bacteria in our gut to feed on, which supports a healthy gut microbiome [the genetic material that lives in your gut],” Aldeborgh says. Schwarz adds that another benefit of fiber is that it helps keep you full for longer—another perk of adding sweet potato to your meal.
3. Eating sweet potatoes is good for your heart
Aldeborgh says that the fiber in sweet potatoes is also beneficial for heart health, including lowering cholesterol and helping to keep blood sugar levels steady. Scientific studies have repeatedly found a connection between a high-fiber diet and lowered risk for heart disease, the number one cause of death in the U.S. Schwarz says that sweet potatoes also contain vitamin C and antioxidants, which are also connected to benefitting the heart.
4. They support eye health
Aldeborgh says that sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin A, which directly benefits eye health. “Sweet potatoes get their abundant vitamin A content from an antioxidant beta-carotene, and it also gives sweet potatoes their orange hue,” she says, adding that another benefit of vitamin A is immune support. Besides vitamin A, the orange tuber also has lutein and zeaxanthin, two other nutrients that support the vision.
5. Sweet potatoes have nutrients that support mental health
Eating sweet potatoes will make you feel good—literally. Schwarz says that this is because they contain magnesium, a nutrient that supports the brain and nervous system. Scientific studies have found a connection between eating foods high in magnesium, like sweet potatoes, and lowering symptoms of depression. Aldeborgh adds that magnesium has many other important benefits too. “It’s required in hundreds of biochemical reactions and is involved in blood pressure regulation, muscle synthesis, blood sugar control, muscle function, and nerve function,” she says.
6. Sweet potatoes help support a good night’s sleep
Having sweet potatoes for dinner just might help you sleep better, too. Aldeborgh says this is yet another benefit of magnesium. Scientific studies have shown that eating foods high in magnesium, like sweet potatoes, can help people suffering from insomnia.
7. Eating sweet potatoes can help with workout recovery
If you want to nourish your body after a long run or gym session, incorporating sweet potato into your post-workout snack is a great idea. This is because sweet potatoes are a great source of potassium, containing 15 percent of the recommended daily value. “Potassium is an electrolyte. The electrolytes in our diet are necessary for fluid balance and maintaining a normal blood pressure,” Aldeborgh says. “It’s also important for nerve function and helping our muscles contract.” The magnesium in sweet potatoes also helps with muscle function—yet another reason why the veggie supports the body after working out.
8. They support healthy bones
As if supporting the brain, gut, heart, and muscles wasn’t impressive enough, sweet potatoes also support bone health because they contain calcium. A good calcium goal to aim for is between 1,000 and 1,200 milligrams a day. Each sweet potato has 39 milligrams, which isn’t a huge amount, but is still a great step toward reaching that daily goal.
How do sweet potatoes compare to white potatoes?
Clearly, sweet potatoes are straight-up packed with nutritional benefits. So how do they compare to white potatoes? Schwarz says that both are great, healthy choices. “White potatoes get a bad rap because of the ways they are typically prepared, but they are also healthy,” she says. “Like sweet potatoes, white potatoes contain fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.” In fact, she says white potatoes have even more potassium than sweet potatoes. They’re also higher in vitamin C. While white potatoes come out ahead on the potassium front, Schwarz says sweet potatoes are higher in vitamin A and fiber. “The bottom line is that they both have their benefits,” Schwarz says. “One is not ‘better’ than the other in my opinion. It depends on your health goals.” There you have it, straight from registered dietitians: Potatoes are tuber, er, uber healthy. (As long as you aren’t deep frying them.) And sweet potatoes in particular come with some pretty spectacular benefits. Now, that’s pretty sweet. Next up, here are 73 ways to cook sweet potatoes and reap their many benefits.
Sources:
Amy Schwarz, RD, CDN, registered dietitianAlex Aldeborgh, RD, registered dietitian
