All About Sweet Potatoes - Vitamins - Nutrients

Healthful vitamins and nutrients all about sweet potatoes:

* low in calories

* high in dietary fiber

* fat-free

* cholesterol-free

* low in sodium

* among the top foods providing vitamin E, beta-carotene (vitamin A), and potassium

* good for maintaining stable blood glucose levels (they have a low glycemic index)

* antioxidants-rich (protects against cancer, heart disease, stroke, and may delay progression of Alzheimer's disease)

Information per serving for medium size sweet potatoes:

* Vitamin A 26081.9 IU

Source: National Agricultural Library (NAL)-Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

A great site to check out is the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. This site/database allows for simple searches.

To do a search for sweet potato follow these steps:

For "Key Word" type in "Sweet Potato" as 2 words.

Then, for "Select Food Group" select "Vegetable + Veg Products" from the drop-down menu.

Click "submit", make a selection from choices given, and click "submit" again.

You'll get about 16 results for sweet potato including mashed, boiled, raw, candied, and baked.

Make a selection and do your final search for its nutrients. The database will provide all vitamins, minerals, amino acids and lipids (fats).

Also, on December 22, 2004, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced the launch of a new website: Nutrition.gov This new site is designed to help people find answers to nutrition and food-related questions. Also, it is a comprehensive source of information and dietary guidance from several government agencies including the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Also, Nutrition.gov links to information on the Food Guide Pyramid, The Dietary Guidelines for Americans ,dietary supplements, fitness, and how to keep food safe.

Learn how to read and understand Nutrition Facts Labels on food -