[00:00:00] Jenn Trepeck: Welcome to Salad with a side of Fries. I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck, talking wellness and weight loss for real life. We're here to clear up the myths, misinformation, bad science and marketing to teach you how to eat and how to cheat. Are you ready? I'm having salad with a side of fries this week. We're talking about Okinawa sweet potatoes.

[00:00:28] Have you had these? Maybe you've seen them in your grocery store. So they are absolutely delicious. And I know I say that and you're probably rolling your eyes because let's be real. I never met a potato I didn't like, right? But one of my favorites is the Japanese sweet potato. That one is purple on the outside and white on the inside.

[00:00:50] The Okinawa and sweet potato is white or sort of beige on the outside and purple on the inside. And they pack [00:01:00] a nutritional punch. So fun fact, they're apparently native to the Americas, but made their way to Japan. It seems, from articles I read, it seems like they ended up in Japan somewhere between 1492 and 1605, and Japan really grew them well.

[00:01:20] So then it became a staple of Japanese nutrition. So they're named after the island of Okinawa, which happens to be one of the places where people have the longest life expectancies in the world. And I wanna point out too, that's not just lifespan, it's health span. And I don't think it's a coincidence. I think these, you know, crops, the Okinawa and Sweet potato plays into that.

[00:01:48] Now. Okay, one more fun fact. So they're technically part of the Morning Glory family, which is like water spinach and like those edible trumpet shaped [00:02:00] flowers. So technically they're not really in the same family as other potatoes. Now to look at the nutrition facts, I will say this was not as easy as other foods.

[00:02:12] According to the Nutrition Center at the University of Hawaii, a serving size of 171 grams, so that's a little less than a cup. It was like 0.8 or 0.9. 80, 90% of a cup. So that quantity gives us 251 calories, zero grams of fat, 61 grams of total carbs with six grams of fiber and one gram of protein, plus 812 milligrams of potassium.

[00:02:42] And according to other articles, the micronutrients don't end there. They seem to also give us over 500% of our daily vitamin A in just one cup. Vitamin C and EB vitamins including B six, folate, thiamine, [00:03:00] and riboflavin plus loads of antioxidants. So let's break this down for a second. So with the potassium, we can think of blood sugar support.

[00:03:10] With the antioxidants, we can focus on anti-inflammatory activity, and we're gonna come back to the antioxidants in a second. With six grams of fiber, we think satiety and blood sugar balance. Now, if you're a longtime listener, I hear you because you're thinking, wait a minute, I heard when you said 61 grams of total carbs in that cup.

[00:03:33] And yes, that's a lot, even with six grams of fiber. Here's what's interesting. So the glycemic index is a number rating given to foods based on how likely and how quickly they are to raise your blood sugar. So Okinawa and sweet potatoes can range from low to medium and even potentially high. So how is this possible?

[00:03:56] There are a couple factors at play. The first is the [00:04:00] antioxidant content, which again, we're gonna come back to that. And the second is how they're cooked. So if they're boiled or steamed. They'll be low glycemic. Baking makes them high glycemic because the starches gelatinize. And then if you think back to our nutrition nugget called Cool, your rice.

[00:04:21] If we cool them after cooking, regardless of our cooking method, if we cool them after cooking, we can increase that resistance starch. The resistance starch helps create short chain fatty acids, which supports colon health, reduced inflammation, supports insulin sensitivity, blood sugar balance, and so much more.

[00:04:40] Now on the antioxidant front, so Okinawa and sweet potatoes have anthocyanins. It's the same antioxidant as blueberries and red grapes and red cabbage, which by the way, we could have guessed based on their color. And for perspective, it looks like Okinawa and sweet [00:05:00] potatoes have 150% more antioxidants than blueberries.

[00:05:06] And the antioxidants then give us additional cardiovascular health support. They may even help protect against some cancer, or frankly, all cancer. Just thinking about how antioxidants interact with cells, immune support, skin health, anti-aging benefits, frankly, protection against, you know, a host of.

[00:05:26] Chronic diseases because again, it's how antioxidants work with cells and reduce inflammation. And then we also have that vitamin C that's additional immune support specifically for women. The combination of vitamins and minerals and the fiber seem to have support for hormone production, which is interesting.

[00:05:47] And I mean all in all of this seems to me like we might wanna find these. Beautiful purple potatoes to add them into our repertoire. So you may have to go to a specialty food store [00:06:00] in Japan, they're called Benny Emo, or sometimes just emo. So in your store you may see them called purple sweet potatoes or Hawaiian sweet potatoes.

[00:06:12] They're all in this camp. They are very sweet, like they almost have like a honey flavor. Sorts. So you can steam them, you can use them in sweet or savory dishes, just like all potatoes, we're gonna cook them then. Cool. Or refrigerate them to develop that resistant starch, and sure, you can then heat them up again after that.

[00:06:35] And I don't know about you, but I didn't mention this, so back in 2009, 2010, the Okinawa and Sweet Potato was on the superfoods list. I don't know, I think it's time for them to make a comeback. You with me? Alright, let's go. Seek out the Okinawa sweet potatoes. As always, everybody, I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck.

[00:06:54] Connect with me on Instagram or all social media. I am at Jenn Trepeck, [00:07:00] J-E-N-N-T-R-E-P-E-C-K. Website is a salad with a side of fries.com. Pick your platform, send a message. Dr. Tyann Mueller, thank you. Thank you again for joining us this week. Thank you, Jenn. Thanks everybody. Absolutely friends. If you're not already become a member, join us in the Happy Healthy Hub.

[00:07:15] You'll go to a salad with the side of fries.com/membership. This shows your support for this podcast, this community, and of course, your health. On top of this week's episode and full video with behind the scenes content, you'll get the 24 7. Ask Me Anything and this week's recipe for the Healthier Chocolates.

[00:07:32] Well friends, that's it for today's episode of Salad with a Side of Fries. Congratulations for making yourself and your health a priority. Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to click subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast platform. Share us with a friend and we'll be back next week. Always remember you deserve it and you are worth it.

[00:07:50] Happy, healthy.