Sweet potatoes are a traditional food that provides the body with many essential nutrients. However, they are also a useful food for dieters to lose weight.

Sweet potatoes are not only delicious but also very good for health. They contain many minerals, vitamin A and plant compounds (also known as phytonutrients).

Sweet potatoes contain many nutrients such as beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, substances such as magnesium, potassium, manganese, fiber, … with many health benefits.

In particular, the ingredients in sweet potatoes have an effective weight loss effect if you use them properly.

1. Why does eating sweet potatoes help you lose weight?

Sweet potatoes  are considered a healthy alternative to regular potatoes and scientifically, they are very helpful in your weight loss process. A sweet potato contains only 10% of the 1,600 calories needed per day, while a potato contains 3-4 times more calories. Let’s find out how sweet potatoes can help you lose weight.

1.1 Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber

Sweet potatoes are a perfect choice for the diet of those who want to lose weight because sweet potatoes are high in fiber. A medium-sized sweet potato contains about 3.8 grams of fiber.

Fiber  has the effect of absorbing water and increasing the feeling of fullness. Eating sweet potatoes makes you feel full for a long time, limits your appetite, reduces the desire to overeat, leading to weight loss.

In addition, the fiber in sweet potatoes supports the production of good bacteria in the body, preventing the accumulation of fats in foods when taken into the body. Eating sweet potatoes rich in fiber also helps improve digestion, metabolism and thus helps lose weight.

Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, which helps reduce stubborn fat in the stomach and lose weight.

1.2 Carbs Keep You Energized

When you’re trying to lose weight, most people tend to skip carbohydrates altogether (while skipping carbs altogether is a mistake).

Carbs keep the body full of energy and provide energy for various tasks. If your body does not have enough carbs, you will not have the energy to stay active and healthy.

To ensure that your body does not lack nutrients, you still need to eat enough starch and fat. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of starch, but the amount of starch in sweet potatoes is only 1/3 compared to rice and potatoes. There are a total of 58 grams of carbs in 300 grams of sweet potatoes, of which 8.25 are complex carbs (dietary fiber).

1.3 Low glycemic index

Sweet potatoes help you lose weight because they have a relatively low glycemic index due to providing complex carbs and a rich amount of fiber. This helps the digestive system absorb nutrients slowly, helping to stabilize blood sugar levels and normal insulin levels, helping to control blood sugar levels, which is very good for weight loss and improving health.

1.4 Keep your body hydrated

Dehydration can slow down your metabolism, which can be the reason why you gain weight. Sweet potatoes help you lose weight effectively thanks to the high water content in their ingredients.

By consuming sweet potatoes, your body still retains the necessary amount of water. Eating sweet potatoes helps regenerate energy for body cells and promote metabolism, thereby helping you lose weight quickly. Besides, it prevents fat accumulation in the body and balances the pH to help eliminate toxins from the body.

Boiling sweet potatoes is the simplest way to prepare them and is most effective in supporting weight loss.

2. Some notes when using sweet potatoes to lose weight

Sweet potatoes only contain 0.1mg of fat, which helps prevent the accumulation of excess fat in the body. In particular, sweet potatoes also do not contain cholesterol, so they help prevent the conversion into fat that is harmful to the body.

Sweet potatoes are very good for weight loss, but you have to eat them properly. Nutritionists recommend that to lose weight healthily, you need to combine foods that ensure adequate nutrition for the body. Losing weight with sweet potatoes does not mean that you use sweet potatoes to replace other dishes.

If you want to eat sweet potatoes to lose weight, you should eat sweet potatoes for breakfast instead of a regular meal.

You can eat half a sweet potato before lunch or dinner to reduce the amount of food consumed in the main meal.

Main meals should still be full of nutrients, combined with eating lots of other vegetables and fruits.

When you want to lose weight with sweet potatoes, you should avoid fried dishes, you should only eat baked or boiled sweet potatoes. In particular, you should eat the whole sweet potato skin to avoid wasting nutrients.

Do not eat sweet potatoes when you are too hungry because then your blood sugar is already low, which will further lower your blood sugar and cause fatigue. You should eat it with animal and vegetable protein to balance the nutrients.

Do not choose to buy sweet potatoes with many strange spots or sprouts. When you buy sweet potatoes, you should store them in a clean, cool place and only use them within 1 week. Avoid leaving sweet potatoes for a long time before eating because they will be sweeter and tastier but will increase the amount of sugar, which can easily cause weight gain.