Sweet Potatoes??

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Sweet Potatoes??

Postby Rob Stuart » Tue Feb 23, 2021 10:46 pm

Hi, there.

Although I have long been a big fan of sweet potatoes, I have advanced several degrees during the past several months. Since I have been working at home, I have discovered it's very easy just to go downstairs at around 5:00 and pop a couple in the oven and cook them for an hour and a half while I am finishing up my workday. I shop at Whole Foods, and I have lately discovered Stokes Purple potatoes.

I frequently cook a crock pot full of beans (black beans are best, but for the past several months I've been trying to finish off a GIGANTIC bag of "pandemic pintos," which I bought during the summer). I add a little cinnamon to the potatoes and then top with the beans and a little salsa. I alternate these with Japanese Sweet Potatoes and Garnett Red Sweet Potatoes. I eat these almost every night.

Last Saturday night I was doing my shopping and got to talking to an other shopper about this, telling her how flavorful they are. She asked me about the sugar content, and I told her that although they are sweet, the sweetness is neutralized by the fiber in them. For example, I have seen articles by Dr. Barnard in which he recommends them over regular russet potatoes because they have a lower glycemic index (I'll bet that he and Dr. McDougall could have a dispute over that one).

Anyway, after I left the store I got to thinking about it, and I wondered if I am really correct about the sugar. I have in the past struggled with my cholesterol (which about a year ago I had gotten within the range of a little over 160). But I know Dr. Esselstyn raises cautions about fruit, saying that when confronted with large amounts of fructose the body will create insulin, which will in turn create cholesterol. (I also eat a couple servings of fruit each day).

So, I'm wondering what kind of an impact do all these sweet potatoes have on my cholesterol? I also read that sweet potatoes are full of soluble fiber, which should lower cholesterol. Which is it? Do they lower cholesterol, raise cholesterol, or have no impact whatsoever?
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby Pumpkin Pete » Thu Feb 25, 2021 3:40 am

Some time ago I read about a study of Papua New Guinea highlanders who consumed mostly sweet potato. In spite of what is considered a low protein intake, the highlanders were muscular and in excellent health.
Here is the study from PubMed;
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7328441/
Here is the full paper if you wish to examine this in more detail;
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv1973/27/4/27_4_319/_pdf

I too like sweet potato. Just an hour ago I had an orange sweet potato with my dinner. I don't bother with all the baking, instead I wrap sweet potato in a dish cloth which I use specifically for this purpose and cook it on 50% power in the microwave anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the sweet potato. I use the dish cloth (or tea towel) to avoid the sweet potato drying out.
I also grow sweet potato. I have a garden bed solely devoted to the white skinned purple fleshed sweet potato. I will leave them in the bed for a little while longer but hopefully I will have a good harvest.
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby PJK » Thu Feb 25, 2021 10:38 am

Here's an answer from WebMD:

Heart disease. Research shows that sweet potatoes can lower your LDL "bad" cholesterol, which may lower your odds of heart problems.
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/bene ... t-potatoes
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby Rob Stuart » Tue Mar 02, 2021 3:36 am

Thank you for your replies. These are helpful.

The question I actually have concerns how best to cook them. I have been baking them, but it sounds like it's healthier to cook them by other means - microwaving or boiling them, most notably.

I have not had good success with microwaving - they always seem to come out to dry, but maybe I should give it another try.

Again, thank you for your comments.

:)
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby Pumpkin Pete » Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:04 am

I also like to steam sweet potato. An advantage with steaming is that you can easily remove the lid of a steamer and poke a folk into the sweet potato to see if it's ready. Lately however I have been microwaving sweet potato. Until I started to use a thick dish cloth or tea towel to wrap the sweet potato I didn't always get consistent results. I also use lower power, 50% of the highest setting which takes longer. Wrapping the sweet potato retains moisture in the sweet potato so it doesn't dry out.
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby Susan5 » Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:19 am

Thanks for the tip, Pumpkin Pete. I prefer to steam in the Instant Pot, but sometimes I need my potato quick, or only need one or two, and the microwave is perfect for those situations. I have noticed that potatoes are definitely more dry doing it that way though.
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby PJK » Tue Mar 02, 2021 12:48 pm

I love sweet potatoes. The best recipe I've found is from Cook's Illustrated.

It's a bit unusual.

First, you microwave the sweet potato until it's 200 F. That should take about 10 mins. (Use a wand thermometer.)

Then you bake the already zapped potato in a regular oven for 1 hour at 425 F.

So good!

The microwaving does some kind of magic that causes the starch granules to burst.

Full recipe here:
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articl ... eet-potato
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby michaelswarm » Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:45 pm

If you have a pressure cooker, you can steam sweet potatoes quickly. Use minimal water in the pot, I use 1 cup. High heat until up to pressure, about 7m, then low heat about 7m. Ready to eat and still moist. You can further bake if you chose. Or allow to cool and store in refrigerator.
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby MINNIE » Wed Mar 03, 2021 1:14 pm

I'm a sweet potato fanatic. and I eat them every day. :-D

I often cook them in the microwave for speed and convenience. This takes 6-7 minutes depending on the tuber size. When I was going to the office to work, I kept raw sweet potatoes in my desk drawer to cook in the office microwave for a health snack.

But I also eat them steamed, boiled, oven baked - any cooking method that doesn't use oil.

For me, the possible differences in cooking methods probably don't have a big enough effect on my health to make me avoid baking versus steaming etc. It just depends on the recipe or the time I want to spend cooking them.

(But my cholesterol has been quite low since I started the McDougall plan, and other people may have different results).

If you have an Instant Pot or similar cooker, steaming is quick and you can make a batch in a short time.
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby pundit999 » Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:56 am

I also microwave them for a few minutes, let them cool for at least 20 min and then eat with the skin on.

Recently, I am using them in my regular stir fries and they taste great. I cut them in about 0.5 inch cubes or smaller and stir fry for a few minutes with onions, broccoli, carrots, celery etc.
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby Rob Stuart » Sat Mar 20, 2021 7:05 am

Pundit, steam frying them sounds delicious. I will have to try doing that. Just out of curiosity, do you ever cook Stokes purple sweet potatoes? Japanese sweet potatoes? I have included these in my weekly menu, along with regular red garnets. I find it adds a lot of variety to my menu.

:)
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby Pumpkin Pete » Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:01 pm

Hi Rob,

As I mentioned in an earlier thread I have a garden bed devoted to white skinned purple fleshed sweet potato.
I unintentionally pulled one out last week. The flesh is a very deep purple. It tastes differently to the orange fleshed sweet potato - more starchy if I have to describe it.
I have been eating sweet potato over the past week and find wrapping the sweet potato fully in a fairly thick dish cloth works well - retaining moisture and not resulting in it drying out. I sometimes add cooked sweet potato to stews when the stew is almost cooked.
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby pundit999 » Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:02 am

Rob Stuart wrote:Pundit, steam frying them sounds delicious. I will have to try doing that. Just out of curiosity, do you ever cook Stokes purple sweet potatoes? Japanese sweet potatoes? I have included these in my weekly menu, along with regular red garnets. I find it adds a lot of variety to my menu.

:)


I have tried purple sweet potatoes and many other varieties. I live in North Carolina which is the largest producer of orange flesh sweet potatoes in the US (may be in the world?). And I get these regular kinds fresh and cheap here.
So I just use them these days.
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby Daydream » Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:58 am

I love baked/roasted Japanese sweet potatoes and they are my favorite of the sweet potato varieties. I bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour (or longer) until they are soft and caramelized.
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Re: Sweet Potatoes??

Postby Rob Stuart » Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:53 pm

Last night, I found a great recipe on the pcrm.org website - sweet potato hash. You just cut up a couple pounds of sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes and simmer them in water for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile you steam fry a little bit of garlic, onion, green and red peppers for about 4 or 5 minutes. Add a little sweet paprika. Add the potatoes to the veggie mix , and heat through. Really tasty.

I recommend it to anyone who's interested. I will definitely be making them again.

Tonight at the grocery store I bought a bunch of smaller potatoes of different colors - Stokes purple, Japanese (yellow) and red garnet. I am planning to mix the colors up in a remake later in the week.

Truly an exciting prospect.

:)
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