14 Healthy Sweet Potato Side Dish Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What's the healthiest way to eat sweet potatoes? ›

Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes the nutrient more absorbable than other cooking methods such as baking or frying. Up to 92% of the nutrient can be retained by limiting the cook time, such as boiling in a pot with a tightly covered lid for 20 minutes.

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.

The fiber and antioxidants in sweet potatoes can be beneficial for gut health. Sweet potatoes contain two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble ( 5 ). Your body cannot digest either type. Therefore, fiber stays within your digestive tract and provides a variety of gut-related health benefits.

A half cup of sweet potatoes is an excellent source* of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. It is also a good source** of fiber, Vitamin B6, and potassium. Look for firm, dark, and smooth sweet potatoes without wrinkles, bruises, or sprouts.

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.

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.

People with kidney problems must avoid eating sweet potatoes because an improper functioning kidney cannot remove potassium from their body, causing high potassium levels that can be harmful to them. Sweet potatoes contain high amounts of oxalates that may increase the risk of calcium-oxalate kidney stones.

How to tell if sweet potatoes have gone bad. 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.

The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes has been shown to fight inflammation, and eating them regularly can help ease joint pain and other symptoms of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. If you're looking for a delicious way to reduce inflammation, add some sweet potatoes to a salad or bake alongside protein!

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.

Which is healthier yams or sweet potatoes? ›

Although both veggies are very close in fiber, protein, vitamin C, and magnesium, sweet potatoes are the healthier option because they are lower in overall calories, lower in carbohydrates, and higher in beta carotene (vitamin A).

Vitamins and minerals in sweet potatoes make them a healthy choice at mealtime. Orange sweet potatoes, for example, are one of the richest sources of beta-carotene, a carotenoid known for its eye health benefits and ability to reduce cancer risks.

If knowing the benefits of sweet potatoes has you ready to eat them regularly, you may be wondering if the adage “too much of a good thing” applies. While both our experts say eating a sweet potato a day is certainly healthy, they don't recommend more than that, since there are plenty of other vegetables to enjoy too.

“One serving of sweet potatoes is generally about 4 to 5 ounces,” says Mackenzie Burgess, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and recipe developer at Cheerful Choices.

Cooking methods like boiling or baking can cause some loss of water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins. Eating raw sweet potatoes can help preserve these nutrients. 2. Enzyme activity: Raw sweet potatoes contain enzymes that can aid in digestion.

Baked sweet potatoes are a nutritious and healthy complex carbohydrate that you can enjoy year-round. Both sweet and savory, this top potato pick is packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Sweet potatoes can be mashed and served as a side, in casseroles, or sliced and baked for sweet potato fries.

Steaming sweet potatoes preserves more of their nutrients and is a faster alternative than baking.

Steaming sweet potatoes is generally considered one of the better cooking methods for preserving their nutritional content compared to some other methods. Here's how it compares: Steaming:Preservation of Nutrients: Steaming helps retain more nutrients compared to boiling or frying.