Sweet Potatoes

Did you know that unlike other starchy vegetables, sweet potatoes are classified as an "anti-diabetic" food? Recent studies have shown that sweet potatoes help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance, a problem caused by cells not responding to the presence of insulin, which then prevents the transport of sugars from the blood to the cells. Some of sweet potatoes' "anti-diabetic" properties are believed to come from their high concentration of carotenoids such as beta carotene (the redder varieties also contain lycopene), which, along with vitamin A and vitamin C, acts as powerful antioxidant to help combat free radical activity that damages cells and cell membranes. Sweet potatoes also function as an anti-inflammatory, helping to reduce the inflammation involved in conditions such as asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.