SWEETPOTATO ADVOCACYSWEETPOTATO ADVOCACYvia via

NUTRITIONNUTRITION

Presented at the National SweetPotato Collaborator’s Group annual Presented at the National SweetPotato Collaborator’s Group annual conference February 2006conference February 2006

Jack D. OsmanHealth Science Department

Towson UniversityTowson, Maryland 21252

Update from North of the M-D Line

• People show up at the Festivalin all types of outfits!

Pennsylvania Declares an Official State Sweetpotato Day

The GWC Sandwich

A New Sandwich

• To honor Dr. George Washington Carver when invited to speak at Tuskegee University, I invented The Dr. G.W. Carver Sandwich. It consists of baked sweetpotato, peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, cinnamon, and brown sugar on whole wheat bread.

SWEETPOTATO:The Intelligent Choice

• We need to unabashedly advocate the incredible, edible sweetpotato.

• From a nutritional point of view, the sweetpotato ranks in the top five vegetables, but its per capita consumption is only four pounds.

Nutritional Value of Sweetpotatoes

• Beta carotene – (Vitamin A) 200%+ of RDA

• Vitamin C – 33%

• Iron – 10%

• Vitamin E – a non-fat source

• Fiber

• B-complex and mineral contributions

PhytochemicalsPhytochemicals• One of the best known group of phytochemicals

is the carotenoids, which are the pigments that give fruits and vegetables their bright colors. One carotenoid, beta-carotene, is eventually converted by the body into vitamin A. This phytochemical is found abundantly in carrots, spinach, and sweetpotatoes. Foods rich in beta-carotene have been shown to reduce the risk of some types of cancer.

• http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/article.cfm?aid=978&sid=6&sk=9AAG

Phytochemical BasicsPhytochemical Basics• Phytochemicals, by definition, are chemicals

that are produced by plants. • Phytochemicals, naturally occurring biochemicals

that give plants their color, flavor, smell, and texture, may help prevent diseases that are responsible for over 60 percent of all deaths annually in the United States.

• Phytochemicals promise to create an entirely new philosophy of "functional foods," eating not just to sustain minimal basic health but also eating to prevent disease.

• http://health.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=phytochemical.htm&url=http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/micro/gallery/phytochemicals/phytochemical.html

Vitamin A PrecursorVitamin A Precursor

• Beta-carotene, a fat-soluble vitamin,

is the most widely studied of the 600 carotenoids identified. It is thought to be the best quencher of singlet oxygen (an energized but uncharged form of oxygen that is toxic to cells). Beta-carotene is also especially excellent at scavenging free radicals in low oxygen concentration.

• http://health.howstuffworks.com/antioxidant.htm/printable

More Benefits of SweetpotatoesMore Benefits of Sweetpotatoes

• Carotenoids have antioxidant capabilities and reduce or inhibit mutagenesis in cells, and terpenoids reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and act as anticarcinogens. Thus eating certain foods, like sweetpotatoes, may contribute to protective levels against cancers.http://health.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=phytochemical.htm&url=http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/micro/gallery/phytochemicals/phytochemical.html

•Sweet potatoes also contain specific phytochemicals -- such as quercetin and chlorogenic acid which act to fight cancer and protect the heart.

http://www.saveonfoods.com/1/brightlife/healthy_eating/100_top_foods/sweet_potatoes.htm

Humans are able to enzymatically convert beta-carotene into Vitamin A

Beta-carotene is a Vitamin A precursor that was first isolated from carrot roots in 1831 by Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder.

The Glycemic Index The Glycemic Index • A ranking of carbohydrate-rich foods • Based on a rise in blood glucose levels --

compared to glucose or white bread.• Low Glycemic Index scores generally indicate:

– More nutrient density; more antioxidants– Increased satiety value – delays hunger– Helps increase HDL cholesterol levels– Lowers risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease

• Sweetpotatoes have a low GI score (under 55)

http://www.diabetes.ca/Section_About/glycemic.asp