Sweet Potato Broccoli and Cheddar Patties - Slimming Eats recipes (2024)

FAQs

Which is better for losing weight, potato or sweet potato? ›

Weight Loss Because of High Fibre Content of Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, which might aid in weight loss and belly fat reduction. Sweet potatoes' high fiber content makes you feel 'full' after a meal, which helps you keep to a calorie-restricted diet.

If you enjoy sweet potatoes, you can absolutely enjoy them daily. However, eating multiple sweet potatoes every day could cause a harmless condition called carotenodermia, where your skin turns yellow-orange. You may also want to be cautious about your sweet potato intake if you have a history of kidney stones.

Boiling may actually retain most of the antioxidant power of sweet potatoes, compared to roasting and steaming. If we compare baking to boiling microscopically, boiling helps thin out the cell walls and gelatinize the starch, which may enhance the bioavailability of nutrients.

Absolutely. Besides their health benefits, sweet potatoes are a great addition to any weight loss diet. First up, they're very high in fibre — especially soluble fibre. Soluble fibre is excellent because it slows down your digestion and helps you feel full, which can curb the urge to snack between meals.

While sweet potatoes can be part of a healthy diet for weight management, there is no specific food that targets belly fat reduction. Spot reduction of fat in a particular area, such as the belly, is not possible.

In a nutrition battle between a banana and sweet potato, the sweet potato would come out ahead. A baked sweet potato has the same calories per gram as a banana, yet has one gram more fiber and five grams less sugar per medium serving.

If your sweet potato is soft in spots, smells rotten, or oozes a mysterious liquid, that potato should be discarded. Another sign that sweet potatoes have taken a turn for the worse is if they start growing stalky purplish sprouts.

Consuming sweet potatoes in excess can result in sweet potato side effects such as Vitamin A toxicity, which is manifested in skin rashes and headaches. Due to high fibre content, excess intake of sweet potatoes can result in bloating, stomach pain and diarrhoea.

Antioxidants Aplenty

Purple-fleshed sweet potatoes are thought to contain super-high levels of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. As these substances pass through your system, they balance out free radicals -- chemicals that harm your cells.

It's really the best way. Microwaving sweet potatoes cuts down cook time by 45 to 55 minutes, and, according to a 2018 study, helps maintain the potato's nutritional value. All cooking methods cause foods to lose some of their nutrients, but the quicker your potato cooks, the more nutrients it will retain.

Should you eat the skin of sweet potatoes? ›

The Bottom Line

You can eat sweet potato skin. It's a good source of fiber, a nutrient that may help lower the risk of heart disease and keep you feeling full for longer periods of time. The next time you make a sweet potato dish, whether it's a roasted side dish or a hearty, cozy casserole, leave the peel on.

If you're trying to make the most out of your sweet potatoes and mitigate a potential spike in blood sugar, Sapola suggests boiling this veggie rather than roasting it. "The preparation technique for a sweet potato can drastically affect the glycemic impact of that sweet potato," Sapola explains.

Broccoli, like other non-starchy vegetables, is beneficial for weight management due to being low in calories and rich in fiber. The fiber and water content of broccoli may help you stay full longer due to slowed digestion, and adding broccoli to your diet may help crowd out higher-calorie and ultra-processed foods.

These fiber-dense foods will work better at keeping you feeling full relative to the amount of calories you are eating. With this in mind, the white potato is the best potato for weight loss, with the red potato not far behind. It's also important to keep sugar consumption down, as we already eat far too much.

This makes sense, because sweet potatoes and white potatoes are actually lower in calories than rice and pasta — so you can eat a little bit more for the same amount of calories. So swapping out other starchy carbs for potato or sweet potato is a super easy way to slash some calories and stay fuller while doing it.

One 5-inch sweet potato has about 26 grams of carbohydrates. In a low-carb diet, one sweet potato has half of the calories from carbohydrates that you may be allowed. But that's still less than the carb content of a white potato: 35 grams, on average.

Potatoes are not inherently fattening. In fact, they can be a healthy part of any diet when prepared and portioned correctly. A medium potato is naturally fat-free and contains about 150 calories.