They're irresistibly sweet, creamy, and in many parts of the world considered a snack treat: No, not candy, sweet potatoes.
And if that's not enough to get you eating more of them, consider this: a 3.5-ounce serving contains twice the recommended daily amount of Beta Carotene (precursor of vitamin A_, is a good source of vitamin C, and has a mere 141 calories.
Along with all this good news comes a bit of confusion. This healthy root vegetable is consistently misidentified as a yam, which is a much larger tuber grown in tropical climates, but with less sweetness, less Beta Carotene, and a starchy texture.
True yams, which do not have the same nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes, are not common to North America and usually are found only in ethnic markets. But many stores label sweet potatoes as yams, and what are sold as canned yams are actually sweet potatoes (read the label carefully).
When buying sweet potatoes, which can be light yellow to ruby red (darker usually means moister), choose those with smooth skins and free of bruises.
Unlike most other canned vegetables, which suffer significant nutrient loss during processing, canned sweet potatoes (yams) are just as nutritious as fresh, as long as they contain no added sugar or harmful additives.
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