Sweet Potato Power!! 🍠

Grilling season is fast approaching. We have some nice weather in our area and I am looking forward to going out and doing some grilling this week. Popular sides when grilling are often potato salad and potato chips which contain high amounts of fat and sodium. Sweet potatoes are a nutritious alternative. They are high in Vitamin B6 which helps reduce the chemical homocysteine in our bodies. Homocysteine has been linked with degenerative diseases, including heart attacks. They are also a good source of Vitamin D which is mainly produced by our bodies when we get enough sun. In New York those days can be few and far in-between. Sweet potatoes also contain a good source of vitamin C that plays an important role in bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation. Although the name sweet is in their name and they do have more sugar than regular potatoes, sweet potatoes natural sugars are slowly released into the bloodstream, helping to ensure a balanced and regular source of energy, without the blood sugar spikes. Sweet potatoes are versatile and can be prepared in many different ways. Here are some tips for including sweet potato into your meals: • Bake a sweet potato on the grill or in the oven and top with cinnamon and nutmeg. • Cut into strips and bake for sweet potato fries (use cooking spray if doing them in the oven to cut down on the fat) • Grill or boil sweet potatoes until tender and mash for mashed sweet potatoes topped with a touch of brown sugar or freshly grated nutmeg.

Hope you enjoy these tips. If you have any you would like we would love to hear them.