While mashed sweet potato is part of American Thanksgiving tradition, Chinese also adore this naturally sweet vegetable in winter time. Indeed, it is one of the most popular street foods throughout the chill season when passers-by simply can’t resist the tasty smell of fresh hot roasted sweet potatoes come straight from a big charcoal oven.
Sweet potato is in season around winter time, but it still can be found in markets year-round and we should add more this wonderful vegetable to our diets, suggested by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioners.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, sweet potato is “neutral in nature” and sweet in taste. It can warm spleen/stomach, replenish “Qi” (essential energy), nourish lungs, and regenerate body fluid. Because of its high medicinal values, sweet potato is even regarded as a “good medicine” in Chinese TCM classics regardless it actually is a food.
So, what makes this inexpensive vegetable so valuable? First, compare with rice, sweet potato contains one-third fewer calories, yet its Vitamin B1 and B2 contents are six times and three times respectively higher than that of rice. Speaking of nutritions, this root vegetable really is a powerhouse. It is a good source of carotene; Vitamin A, B, C, and E; potassium; iron; copper; selenium; calcium and more. And both carotene and Vitamin C are very powerful antioxidants that can prevent atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, and colon cancer.
Since sweet potato is low in calorie and fat but high in dietary fiber (it even has more fiber than oatmeal when eaten with the skin), it is effective in not only facilitating peristaltic movement of gastro-intestine and relieving constipation, but also helping people who want to control weight. In fact, with 100 grams of sweet potatoes, there are only 99 calories and 0.2 gram fat, but 4 grams of dietary fibers!
Furthermore, it’s known that when the PH level (acid/alkaline measurement) of the body gets out of balance (too acidic), we may experience poor digestion, low energy, fatigue, excess weight, and even aches and pains. As sweet potato is an alkaline food (most of us should strike the optimum 20% acid/80% alkaline balance in order to maintain a vital health), eating more of them can help us to keep or regain this essential balance and lead to a stronger immune system ultimately.
Don’t wait for next Thanksgiving; try this Sweet Potato Rice tonight. It’s so tasty that it may become your dinner tradition forever.
Image by JasonTromm
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