Sweet Potato Day

Sweet potato is a very tasty and nutritious tuber that can be processed into many delicious dishes. However, many people do not know the health benefits of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins, minerals, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin and carotenoids. Sweet potatoes can support you to prevent and treat many chronic diseases, promote weight loss, it is thanks to these nutritional components, and even improve skin and hair. Because of the many uses above, sweet potatoes have become a popular dish in the United States. The national calendar records that Sweet Potato Day is held every year on the first Monday in April to honor sweet potatoes as well as to give everyone a day to process and enjoy sweet potato dishes, helping to live become better.

There are many nutritional benefits of sweet potato, making it one of the favorite foods of many people. Some of the top health benefits include: Boosts the immune system, fights stress and anxiety, aids digestion, boosts memory, supports eye health, fights inflammation, and supports sugar levels in healthy blood. You can eat sweet potatoes baked, roasted, mashed or as an ingredient in many different recipes to provide the necessary nutrition for the body.

By making sweet potatoes a mascot, the idea behind Sweet Potato Day has an idea with a great meaning is to raise awareness of world hunger. Rich in vitamin A, fiber and vitamin C, sweet potatoes can also be grown in many parts of the world and provide nutrition to children and people in Africa. Sweet potatoes literally save lives.

History of Sweet Potato Day

It seems that the origin and distribution of Sweet Potato Day is still unknown. It is said that the founder of Sweet Potato Day is a chef, because he loves delicious and nutritious dishes from sweet potatoes that people don't notice. It is no coincidence that Sweet Potato Day is loved to this day. The benefits of Sweet Potato demonstrated on Sweet Potato Day such as:

1. Helps strengthen the immune system.

Sweet potatoes are a great source of beta-carotene, which contains an antioxidant called carotenoids, which helps your liver convert the beta-carotene you consume into health-promoting vitamins.

The right amount of beta-carotene is enough to create mucosal barriers that prevent bacteria and toxins in the environment from entering your body, help your body prevent and fight infections, keep you healthy and systematic more complete immunity.

2. Helps manage stress and anxiety.

One sweet potato contains 30 to 35mg of magnesium. Magnesium helps a lot in the production of neurotransmitters that help keep you calm. In addition, magnesium is also involved in the production of cortisol, which is a hormone produced to help your body adapt during times of stress.

3. Aids in digestion.

Sweet potatoes provide soluble fiber, which supports a healthy gut. A 2018 study revealed that purple sweet potatoes promote the growth and development of healthy gut bacteria.

4. May help improve memory.

In fact, purple sweet potatoes contain large amounts of anthocyanin’s. Anthocyanin’s have been shown to enhance memory as well as enhance concentration. Not just for adults, a study has shown that consuming foods rich in anthocyanin’s enhances concentration and attention in children.

5. Supports eye health.

Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene content. Vitamin A improves tear quality in patients with dry eye.

6. Contains anti-inflammatory properties.

Sweet potatoes are also known to fight inflammation due to their vitamin A and beta-carotene content. In fact, studies have shown that having adequate amounts of vitamin A in the body can actually help keep your immune system from being overactive.

7. Maintain blood sugar levels.

Finally, by keeping blood sugar levels under control, the ultimate nutritional benefit of sweet potatoes is their ability to fight diabetes. Sweet potatoes may aid in the management of type 2 diabetes.

How to observe Sweet Potato Day

Take action! In celebrating the delicious sweet potato and its many health benefits, we too can join the fight against this potentially deadly disease of malnutrition. One of the easiest things to do is send a letter to Congress. At this point, less than 1% of the US budget is spent on foreign aid. These funds are at risk and if these smart programs are cut, millions of people could lose access to food, medicine and AIDS treatment. You can also sign a very simple petition to disseminate information calling on our leaders to promote the reduction of chronic malnutrition for 25 million children by 2016.

Malnutrition is the undisclosed killer of nearly 2 million children worldwide. Now you can take action by promoting the fight for good nutrition to help children in need of nutrition grow and survive.

In addition, on Sweet Potato Day, join your family in the kitchen and cook sweet potato dishes to make your meal richer and nutritious for your family's health. Share them on social media with the hashtag #SweetPotatoDay.