Sweet Potato

Sweet potato is a starchy root vegetable whose orange flesh signals a high concentration of beta-carotene, the plant pigment the body converts to vitamin A.

What published research reports

USDA FoodData Central lists baked sweet potato at roughly 90 calories per 100 g with about 3 g of fibre, potassium, vitamin C and beta-carotene equivalent to more than the full daily vitamin A reference intake. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements vitamin A fact sheet names sweet potato as one of the richest food sources of provitamin A carotenoids — a single baked sweet potato covers the adult RDA — and notes that carotenoids from food, unlike high-dose preformed vitamin A supplements, have not been shown to cause toxicity. As a carbohydrate source, it fits the glycogen-fuelling ranges published in the joint sports-nutrition position statement.

References

• US Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central — Sweet potato, baked. fdc.nal.usda.gov
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov