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CSPI ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest vegetable by more than 100 points.

Points were given for content of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars and caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food.

There are many varieties of sweet potatoes with flesh ranging from white, yellow, orange and purple.  Even the shapes and sizes range from being short and blocky to long and thin.

Sweet Potato Nutrition:

Sweet potatoes, especially the deeper-colored ones, are extremely rich in carotenes (precursor of vitamin A).  They are also an excellent source of vitamins C, B2, B6, E and biotin (B7).

In the minerals department, they provide good amounts of manganese, folate (folic acid), copper and iron.  It also has pantothenic acid and is rich in dietary fiber.

Among root vegetables, sweet potatoes offer the lowest glycemic index rating. That’s because the sweet potato digests slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar so you feel satisfied longer. It’s time to move sweet potatoes to the "good" carb list.

Nutritive Values : Per 100 gm.

• Vitamin A : 7,700 I.U.
• Vitamin B : Thiamine .09 mg.;
• Riboflavin : .05 mg.
• Niacin : .6 mg.
• Vitamin C : 22 mg.
• Calcium : 30 mg.
• Iron : .7 mg.
• Phosphorus : 49 mg.
• Potassium : 300 mg.
• Fat : .7 gm.
• Carbohydrates : 27.9 gm.
• Protein : 1.8 gm.
• Calories : 123

Health Benefits:

Sweet potatoes are excellent sources of plant proteins with very low calories.  Unlike other starchy root vegetables, it is very low in sugar, and in fact is a good blood sugar regulator.

As an anti-oxidant:  Sweet potatoes have been found to contain a high amount of anti-oxidant, making it suitable in combating inflammatory problems like asthma, arthritis, gout, etc.

Diabetes:  This fibrous root is suitable for diabetics' consumption as it is a very good blood sugar regulator, helps to stabilize and lower insulin resistance.

Digestive tract, healthy:  The significant amount of dietary fiber, especially when eaten with the skin, helps to promote a healthy digestive tract, relieving constipation and also helps prevent colon cancer.

Emphysema:  Smokers and people who inhale second-hand smoke should regularly consume foods high in vitamin A as smoke has been found to induce vitamin A deficiency, causing a host of other health problems to the lungs.

Fetal Development:  The high folate content is important and necessary for healthy fetal cell and tissue development.

Immune System:  Regular consumption of sweet potatoes strengthens the body's immune system and develop resistance to infection.

Heart diseases:  Consumption of this high potassium root helps to prevent heart attack and stroke. It helps maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body cells, as well as normal heart function and blood pressure.

Muscle Cramps: A deficiency in potassium can cause muscular cramps and greater susceptibility to injury. Make sweet potatoes a regular part of your diet if you exercise a lot, both for an energy boost and to prevent cramps and injuries.

Stress: When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, causing the body potassium levels to be reduced. By snacking on the potassium-packed sweet potato, it helps to rebalance the vital mineral, and helps normalize the heartbeat. This in turn sends oxygen to the brain and regulates the body's water balance.

Sweet Potato History:

Sweet potatoes, botanically known as Ipomoea batatas, are the root of a vine in the morning glory family and native to the New World tropics. Its history dates back to 750 B.C. in Peruvian records. Columbus brought the sweet potato to the New World from the island of Saint Thomas.

The Taino word for them was batatas which eventually became patata in Spanish, patae in French, and potato in English. At that time, potato referred to the sweet potato, and not the generic white potato as it does in English nowadays.

The sweet potato was also grown before western exploration in Polynesia, where it is called the kumara, remarkably similar to the Quechua kumar in Peru. Sweet potato has been radiocarbon-dated in the Cook Islands to 1000 AD, and current thinking is that it was brought to central Polynesia c. 700 AD, possibly by Polynesians who had traveled to South America and back, and spread across Polynesia to Hawaii and New Zealand from there.[3][4] It is possible however, that South Americans brought it to the Pacific. The theory that the plant could spread by floating seeds across the ocean is not supported by evidence. Another point is that the sweet potato in Polynesia is the cultivated Ipomoea batatas, which is generally spread by vine cuttings, and not by seeds.[5]

Sweet potatoes are now cultivated throughout tropical and warm temperate regions wherever there is sufficient water to support their growth.