The marshmallows notwithstanding, sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest foods on your Thanksgiving table. They’re full of nutrients that keep your systems humming and your blood sugar steady, and they can even reduce your cancer risk.
Here are some of the ways sweet potatoes benefit your body, along with ideas from New York Times Cooking for how to prepare them on Thanksgiving Day, and every day.
They’re a natural source of electrolytes.
Sweet potatoes are a good source of potassium, an electrolyte that you sweat out when you exercise. The body relies on potassium, which carries a charge, to send electrical signals between nerves, said Holly Gilligan, a registered dietitian at the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Fitness Science program. Potassium helps to keep your nerves firing, your heart beating and your muscles contracting. One medium cooked sweet potato contains around 350 milligrams of potassium — about 12 percent of the recommended daily amount for an average adult and more than six times what you get in a 12-ounce bottle of Gatorade.
Potassium also helps you maintain a healthy blood pressure. “The body is constantly trying to keep potassium in balance with another electrolyte: sodium,” said Dave Bridges, a biochemist and associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Michigan. Sodium causes the body to hold onto fluids, increasing the volume of our blood; if there’s too much sodium, blood pressure can become unhealthily high, he explained. Potassium stimulates the kidneys to excrete sodium and also causes blood vessels to relax.
They won’t spike your blood sugar.
Sweet potatoes get their signature flavor from naturally occurring sugars; one medium sweet potato has around nine grams. “For some context, that’s about a quarter of what you would find in a regular soda,” Dr. Bridges said.
But unlike a sugary beverage, sweet potatoes are relatively high in dietary fiber (about four grams per potato). Fiber is a lot of work for the body to digest, which slows down the breakdown of sugar, said Judy Simon, a clinical dietitian at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. Blood sugar levels spike when you consume soda, but when you eat a sweet potato, blood sugar levels rise gradually.
High-fiber foods, including sweet potatoes, can even boost the body’s production of GLP-1, the hormone that drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy mimic, Ms. Simon said. GLP-1 stimulates the release of insulin and slows down digestion, which helps you feel full for longer.
They’re rich in vitamins and minerals.
One medium sweet potato contains more than 100 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A — primarily in the form of beta-carotene, which gives the vegetable its vibrant orange color. In addition, a medium sweet potato contains roughly 20 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. Both vitamins are powerful antioxidants that can neutralize free radicals — unstable oxygen molecules that can damage cells and DNA, increasing the risk of cancer and other diseases. Vitamin A is also an important building block for proteins inside the retina that detect light, making it essential for vision, Dr. Bridges said. And the body needs vitamin C to absorb iron, Ms. Simon said.
Sweet potatoes also contain high levels of copper and manganese, which the body uses to produce antioxidants in-house, Dr. Bridges said.
How to Enjoy Them
“Traditionally, people think of Thanksgiving sweet potatoes with marshmallows and goo,” Ms. Simon said, but less is more. She recommended drizzling them in olive oil and roasting them with herbs. Here are some other delicious ideas from NYT Cooking.
1. Sweet Potatoes With Miso-Ginger Sauce
Accompanied by a savory sauce and sesame seeds, these sweet potatoes are special enough for the Thanksgiving table, but they can also be a main dish any old night, rounded out with greens and grains.
2. Sweet Potato Hash With Tofu
Tofu makes this breakfast hearty. Top it all with poached eggs, cheese and herbs to enrich it even more.
3. Sheet-Pan Chicken With Sweet Potatoes and Fennel
Chicken breasts are slathered in a zingy Pecorino lemon dressing and roasted alongside sweet potatoes and fennel, which caramelize in the hot oven.
4. Red Curry Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Spinach
Inspired by dal, this vibrant vegetarian main dish is creamy with coconut milk and warmly spiced. Browning the potatoes in the pot first brings out their sweetness.
5. Roasted Kale and Sweet Potatoes With Eggs
This meal is as satisfying as any grain bowl, but it comes together more easily because the toppings all roast on a single pan.
