Sweet potatoes are my favorite right now. I get so excited to eat them and practically lick my bowl clean! They satisfy my sweet tooth and provide great nutrients. Sweet potatoes are a good food for runners, especially when eaten the day before a race.
Each potato contains around 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. Pretty impressive! Sweet potatoes also contain a huge amount of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. They contain vitamin C, potassium, iron, manganese, and copper. Manganese and copper are crucial for healthy muscle function and most runners don't get enough in their diet. Because of the potatoes high carbohydrate content, they can be used for carbon loading the day before a race. When eaten, carbohydrates are broken down into smaller sugars, one of them is glucose. The glucose that is not used right away is stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. Glycogen is what fuels the body during exercise. That is why carbon loading is important. However, too many carbs can be dangerous. When the muscles and liver stores are full, the extra glucose is stored as fat.
There are many different ways to eat sweet potatoes. I am going to share how I usually prepare my sweet potatoes in this post, then experiment with some other recipes and post about them later.
Baked Sweet Potato
Wrap the sweet in foil and bake on 350 for 1 hour or until soft
Cut down the middle and top with 1/2 chopped apple, 1 chopped date, raisins, coconut, 1 tsp of peanut butter, flax seed, and cinnamon
Eat the whole thing, and don't feel bad about it :)
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