Why do roasted sweet potatoes on the street taste better? Do roasted sweet potatoes cause cancer? Huaxi doctors tell you...

The temperature has been dropping more and more obviously in the past two days~ What are the happiness of winter?

Roasted sweet potato is one of them. When the weather gets cold, many people talk about going to the street to buy a roasted sweet potato to eat.

It is fragrant, soft, glutinous, sweet and warm, making people wonder how there can be such delicious food as roasted sweet potato in the world!

Especially the ones that are baked hot and oozing with sugar and oil, you can smell the fragrance from a long distance away, you can't help it and you have to buy one no matter what.

Take it in your hand, break it, take a bite, and all the cold and worries will be dispersed in the air along with the hot steam coming out of the sweet potato...

However, happiness is always broken in an instant. Whenever you are immersed in the happiness brought by roasted sweet potatoes, someone will say: " Roasted sweet potatoes can cause cancer, you can't eat them! "

Is it true? Let's hear what Dr. Rao Zhiyong from the Clinical Nutrition Department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University has to say~

Why are baked sweet potatoes so delicious?

Does it really cause cancer?

Roasted sweet potatoes do bring warmth to winter, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that holding them in your hands is a ritual in winter;

If you don’t see any stalls selling roasted sweet potatoes on the street in winter, it will seem a bit empty.

The reason why baked sweet potatoes are delicious is that during the baking process, water evaporates and the sugar is concentrated. In addition, as the temperature rises, part of the starch in the sweet potatoes is broken down into maltose, which further increases the sweetness.

The roasted sweet potatoes sold on the street are usually heated continuously at high temperatures, which gives the enzymes time to convert more starch into sugar, so they taste very sweet. Think about it, if you roast them in the microwave at home, are they not as sweet as those bought outside?

There are also many hard, brown things on the surface of baked sweet potatoes. This is not because they are brushed with syrup. It is because the sugar in the sweet potato is concentrated under high temperature, resulting in a caramel reaction . With such a high sugar content, it is hard not to taste good!

But so many people say that eating roasted sweet potatoes can cause cancer, so it’s inevitable that people are a little hesitant. Should we eat them?

Currently, there is no clear evidence that eating baked sweet potatoes causes cancer.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified carcinogens differently, and barbecue is classified as "possibly carcinogenic" rather than "strongly carcinogenic."

Some people also say that eating the black skin will definitely cause cancer!

Well, is there really anyone who would eat black things?

Moreover, not all burnt substances may cause cancer. Animal foods are rich in protein, and when burnt black, they will produce carcinogens. However, rice, vegetables, fruits, etc., even if burnt black, will not produce similar carcinogens.

If you are really worried, just peel the skin of the roasted sweet potato before eating it!

About Sweet Potatoes

You have too many misunderstandings.

In addition to the above-mentioned fact that eating roasted sweet potatoes can cause cancer, sweet potatoes do have a strong presence in our lives. For example, eating sweet potatoes can help you lose weight, prevent constipation, and lower blood sugar.

Let us tell you one by one, is this the case?

01

Can eating sweet potatoes help you lose weight?

Many people have a strange way of thinking, thinking that eating more whole grains will help with weight loss, and sweet potatoes are also whole grains, so sweet potatoes = weight loss.

That’s not how it’s calculated!

In terms of energy, the energy of rice is 5.6 times that of sweet potatoes. If you replace the rice you usually eat with sweet potatoes, it is indeed beneficial for weight loss , but you cannot eat sweet potatoes as the only staple food. After all, the protein and vitamin B1 content of sweet potatoes is not as good as that of rice, which is only 9% and 33% of rice respectively. Using sweet potatoes instead of rice as the staple food for a long time may lead to vitamin deficiency.

If you want to eat sweet potatoes while losing weight, it is recommended to partially replace the staple food, while also controlling the total amount.

02

Can eating sweet potatoes prevent constipation?

That's right. Increasing dietary fiber intake is helpful in preventing constipation.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrition Database, 100 grams of sweet potatoes contain 3 grams of dietary fiber, which is 2.3 times the amount of long-grain rice we usually eat. Adequate dietary fiber can not only enhance the feeling of fullness, but also promote gastrointestinal motility, prevent constipation, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and colon cancer.

03

Can eating sweet potatoes lower blood sugar?

Although sweet potatoes are coarse grains, they are not friendly to people who need to control blood sugar.

Did you see what was said about roasted sweet potatoes (which are high in sugar) above?

For example, the GI value (glycemic index) of boiled sweet potatoes is 77, which is a high glycemic index food. If the sweet potatoes are peeled and baked, the GI value will be even higher, up to about 90, which is almost close to the 100 of glucose!

Therefore, for people who need to control blood sugar, it is best not to eat sweet potatoes alone. If you want to eat them, it is best to eat them with vegetables and protein foods. Diverse foods are conducive to stabilizing blood sugar after meals.

Delicious sweet potatoes

Here's what you need to know

In addition, in addition to eating sweet potatoes as snacks, in life, we often use sweet potatoes as part of meals...

The main reason is that sweet potatoes are very down-to-earth, cheap and can be stored! However, some people may still make mistakes in the following two aspects↓

Sweet potato sprouts can also be eaten

Potato sprouts are highly toxic, but sweet potato sprouts are not !

Especially if it grows sweet potato leaves, you can also make cold sweet potato leaves or stir-fry them~

However, the nutritional content of sweet potatoes will decrease after sprouting, the taste will become worse, and they will easily deteriorate. If you want to eat them, you must carefully observe whether they are moldy (then they are definitely not edible).

Purple potatoes are not more nutritious than sweet potatoes

The biggest advantage of purple sweet potatoes is that they are rich in anthocyanins, while the biggest advantage of sweet potatoes is that they are rich in beta-carotene. There is no difference between the two. It depends on what you want to eat.

Also, although eating sweet potatoes is good for health, because of its high dietary fiber content, it will be fermented by large intestine microorganisms to produce gas, causing bloating;

In addition, eating too many sweet potatoes will stimulate the secretion of gastric acid, and people with poor gastrointestinal function will experience symptoms such as acid reflux and heartburn.

Therefore, everything should be eaten in moderation. The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2022" recommends that each person eat 50-100 grams of potatoes (about a small fist) per day. Common potatoes include potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, taro, etc.

Finally, let me ask,

Have you eaten sweet potatoes recently?

What is a must-eat in winter?

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