I first tasted a sweet potato when I was a child.
My grandmother cooked it in a pure type dish, which I really did not fancy and I did not like it at all.
That ended up in my bad books for vegetables.
A few years later, I was introduced to a very simple dish, which featured sweet potatoes as the main ingredient.
And since that day, I can only say that they truly are a fantastic vegetable.
As for many people, this type of potato is one that is at the top of the food chain and somehow qualifies as a superfood.
First, their taste is just fabulous. Second, they are highly nutritious for your body.
And third, these potatoes are qualified as a superfood because they have some hidden properties that make them unique. Simply put, they are a must-eat veggie.
Why Are Sweet Potatoes Superhero Food?
Being tasteful and highly nutritious does not make you a superhero food.
But let’s look at the global market for sweet potatoes and you’ll understand why this is a superhero.
In the last few years, we have seen the rise of the sweet potato because it is healthy.
In fact, this type of potato has become one of the mainstream ingredients for a very large proportion of the worldwide population.
More and more people are choosing to eat this vegetable because it is good for us.
I am saying this because the industry has dramatically increased its production of sweet potatoes.
And when the industry adjusts its production, that’s because there is a demand.
Looking at the year 2014, 127 million tonnes of sweet potatoes were produced.
In that year alone, China has produced 105 million tonnes and the rest of the world 22 million tonnes. (1, 2, 3)
We can see from these statistics that the rest of the world is lagging in the production of this superfood.
And the reason why we call this type of potato a superfood is that, when you eat it, you get to eat some anti-cancer compounds.
So you eat a potato and you fight against cancer.
What can sweet potatoes do for you?
Sweet potatoes have been investigated at length and studies show that they are ultra-rich in anti-cancer properties.
What you need to know is that it was not too long ago since scientists started to investigate this weird colorful vegetable.
It is just over 100 years ago (only a century) since researchers found that sweet potatoes contain a protein that can help our bodies.
This protein was shown to be able to fight cancer.
Scientists started to focus their efforts on Leukemia, which is one of the most difficult cancer to deal with. (4)
They tested the potato protein against this disease. And it proved to be highly successful.
Results from the tests showed that the sweet potato protein can slow the development of leukemia cells.
What Did Scientists Do?
First, scientists needed to define if their initial findings were appropriate.
So they embarked on a process where they could target cancers. At the time, they aimed at investigating tongue cancer. (5)
They took the potato protein and applied it to people who had this form of cancer.
The choice for this cancer was due to the fact that tong cancer was treated with chemotherapy.
Such treatment was at the time and even today associated with too many side effects.
They effectively wanted a solution that was natural with almost no side effects.
The end results of the tests were outstanding. They showed that sweet potatoes protein can reduce bad cancer cells.
But this test really showed, is that the protein can do this in a matter of days (this was done in vitro).
This success that the protein could be a real cure for this type of cancer.
This was encouraging and scientists went even further.
The protein was applied to a selected 9 women. These had contracted cervical cancer.
The good news is that the protein found its way into the bloodstream.
Unfortunately, this was for only two cases. Pretty low results you would say. Well no. It is just a 25% success rate.
Why is this so important? Because many times, the protein gets digested and your body flushes it.
However, with sweet potatoes, it seems that the protein stays in your body, finds its way into the bloodstream. This means it can fight cancer actively.
Is it effective against other cancer?
Well, the protein was tested on one of the deadliest cancer, that is colorectal cancer. Again sweet potato protein delivered positive results. (7)
What it did was incredible for scientists. It just stopped the development of cancer.
It also minimized the invasion and migration of cancer cells; meaning that the cells could not deploy across your body.
That is why sweet potatoes are called superhero food and are one of the greatest vegetables on earth.
We should definitely plant these in our gardens, or buy them to consume in nice recipes.
A quick sweet potato recipe
You may recall from the beginning of the article that I did not enjoy my first meeting with sweet potatoes.
Then I was introduced to a great recipe by my mum who was experimenting with ways to get me to eat them.
My mum is a great fan of sweet potatoes and she was adamant that I would one day eat these no matter what.
Well, I can tell you that she was successful. Here is what she did.
First, she took a couple of sweet potatoes.
She peeled a few and did not for the others.
Then she cut the peeled potatoes in chips form (see the picture below).
She put them in boiling oil.
What she ended up with is Sweet Potato Chips.
She did the same with the unpeeled potatoes.
How did she make me eat sweet potatoes – The trick?
She served the lot on a plate.
First a few sweet chips and some coriander on top of these. On the side, she added some fresh salads. And that’s it.
She did the same with the unpeeled potatoes.
A little bit of mayo and that was all.
She added that if I tried the sweet potatoes than she’d take me out for ice cream.
I remember this day as I was not really happy to yet again try out this type of potatoes. But the ice cream did the trick.
I ended up eating a piece, and another, and another one until I finished my plate. I did not eat the salad though.
Then mum said, eat the second plate. This one had unpeeled chips. I looked at her and then went for it.
Guess what, since that day I eat sweet potatoes.
And I am glad about that. Especially that it is a superhero food and all of us should go buy them and eat them.
Simplicity is what makes great food. And this is a superfood made in great food.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is very easy to prepare and cook sweet potatoes.
And they have a nice positive side effect on your health.
So, I invite you to eat sweet potatoes at least once a month.
They are so easy to prepare and you get to fight cancer with an enjoyable ingredient.
I think you got a bit surprised when you read about the worldwide production of this vegetable.
Being produced at 127 million tonnes in 2014, it should be no surprise to you why you must eat them.
I have even given you a nice recipe which will help you in making nice meals for your family.
Back to you
After reading about the above cancer-fighting superfood, I am sure you will fall in love with it.
You’ll end up loving sweet potatoes just by preparing my recipe.
If you want more about a healthy lifestyle, then I invite you to find more healthy information at Omigy.
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