Are these sweet potatoes or yams? They are really sweet potatoes and come in various shades of orange to yellow. I just love them!
Dr. Cordell believes they are a super food. Here’s his interesting list:
-One cup of cooked sweet potatoes provides 1,922 mcg_RAE of beta carotene (Vitamin A). It would take 16 cups of broccoli to provide the same amount.
-Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin E, and they are virtually fat-free, which makes them a real Vitamin E standout. Most Vitamin E rich foods, such as vegetable oils, nuts and avocados, contain a hefty dose of fat.
-Sweet potatoes provide many other essential nutrients including Vitamin B6, potassium and iron.
-Sweet potatoes are a good source of dietary fiber which helps to promote a healthy digestive tract. Sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal.
-Sweet potatoes are a complex carbohydrate which means they digest more slowly than white potatoes and therefore will not cause your blood sugar to spike.
My sweet potato vs yam story:
When I bought these I thought they were yams because the grocery store sign said “Yams - 69 cents per pound”. The cashier lady rang them up as “Sweet potatoes - $1.29 per pound”. I told her they were yams.
I walked her over to the sign and pointed it out. The sign did say “YAMS” but the young cashier didn’t want to sell them to me as yams. She waited around for the grocery guy and they talked for at a while. There weren’t any other yams or sweet potatoes to compare it with.
She didn’t void the purchase, just gave me back $1.80 in cash (in this case it was 60 cents x 3 lbs). It’s really not about the money, it’s about doing good business. She never apologized for the mistake or even gave me a smile. She was young, maybe 19 years old.
In this case, I just want the store to admit they made a mistake and correct it. They didn’t even bother to take the sign down or fix it. The only reason I’m complaining is because this is the 2nd time it’s happen to me. At that time they also did not fix the sign. Next time it happens, I’ll point out the name of the place, for now I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.
I really don’t like to fuss about much and am pretty easy going. I really did let the whole thing go after about 10 minutes. But this incident had me thinking… “there goes the sweet potato vs yam story!”.
Back to sweet potatoes… they make great healthy snacks. It seem the state of North Carolina produces the most sweet potatoes in the U.S.
The orange variety I have in the above photo looks to be ”Evangeline” with it’s moist deep orange flesh. This version was softer after being cooked, the yellow one was more firm. But both were good and sweet.
Speaking of yams, I had to include Popeye, my childhood cartoon hero.
Image from Turbeau Curbeau.
