I never had sweet potatoes growing up.  I don’t think my mom liked them, so she never cooked them. I suppose I saw them at Thanksgiving time, but as a kid I thought they looked nasty even with marshmallows on them (I was never a big marshmallow fan either). 

It wasn’t until I got heavily into gardening and researching healthy foods that I started eating sweet potatoes and fell in love with them.  As a result, we eat a lot of sweet potatoes around here and include them in our diet regularly.  

First frost is right around the corner, so I set Emery and Greyden to harvesting our sweet potatoes.

If you’ve never made sweet potatoes a big part of your diet, they are very easy to incorporate into your meals.  You can add them to soups, stews, and baking.  We also love them steamed and mashed up with butter.  If you still need more convincing, here are Ten Reasons why I think you should feedy your family (and yourself) more sweet potatoes.

1. Sweet potatoes are high in fiber. Fiber helps you to control your appetite by making you feel fuller.

2. Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin C.  Vitamin C supports our immune system and plays a support role in many other functions.

3. Sweet potatoes contain iron. Iron is necessary to for the health of our red blood cells and without enough iron, most people experience a lack of energy.

4. Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin B6.  Vitamin B6 in our bodies breaks down the chemical homocysteine which can lead to hardening of our arteries and blood vessels.  

5. Sweet potatoes contain mag­nesium. Magnesium is getting a lot of press lately as being an important mineral that most Americans are deficient in.

6.  Sweet potatos contain potassium. Potassium is important for heart health and lower blood pressure as well as proper functioning of the kidneys (which can help reduce swelling).

7. Sweet potatoes don’t cause blood sugar spikes. Blood sugar remains more level after consuming sweet potatoes (as opposed to regular potatoes) because the sugars are more slowly released into the bloodstream.

8. Sweet potatoes are high in carotenoids.  Carotenoids (like beta carotene) are precursors to vitamin A which boosts our immune system and may prevent cancer and other signs of aging.

9. Sweet potatoes are kid friendly.  They are naturally sweet and easily added (and hidden for picky eaters) in many yummy recipes. 

10. Sweet potatoes are family friendly.  Sweet potatoes are inexpensive, filling, and healthy.  Plus they store well if you stock up around Thanksgiving when they’re usually on sale.

If you’re a big sweet potato fan and like to garden, they are pretty easy to grow.  They do take up a good bit of room, but require very little attention throughout their growing season.  If you have clay soil, you’ll want to do your best to add in more organic material so that they have room to grow.  

Just plant them when it’s warm out and let them grow until first frost.  Then enjoy all winter long!