Modern medicine believes that the health care function of sweet potato mainly has the following aspects.
Prevention and cure constipation
Sweet potato contains a lot of dietary fiber, which cannot be digested and absorbed in the intestine. It can stimulate intestinal tract, enhance peristalsis, relieve constipation and detoxify, especially for senile constipation.
Sweet potato contains not only lysine necessary for human body, but also carotene, which can inhibit the abnormal differentiation of epithelial cells, enhance human immunity and prevent carcinogens from combining with protein in the nucleus. In recent years, clinical trials in Philadelphia Hospital in the United States have shown that androsterone extracted from sweet potato can effectively inhibit the occurrence of colon cancer and breast cancer.
Help to lose weight
Sweet potato helps to lose weight because the dietary fiber in sweet potato helps to promote the discharge of fat and sugar in food, which are the "culprit" of obesity. In addition, after eating sweet potatoes, consumers are not easy to feel hungry, which greatly reduces the number of snacks.
control the blood sugar
Sweet potato has a certain anti-diabetic effect. A clinical study at the University of Vienna in Austria found that insulin sensitivity of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was improved after taking sweet potato extract, which helps to control blood sugar.
Although sweet potato is good, it must be eaten scientifically and reasonably in order to exert its best health care effect. First, sweet potatoes must be steamed before eating to prevent the starch inside from being difficult to digest in the gastrointestinal tract; Secondly, due to the high sugar content of sweet potato, it is not advisable to eat too much at a time to prevent abdominal discomfort; Third, people with damp-heat and qi stagnation in the spleen and stomach should eat sweet potatoes carefully; Finally, sweet potatoes should not be eaten with persimmons, tomatoes, white wine, crabs and bananas to prevent gastrointestinal bleeding or gastric ulcer.
skin care
Mucin contained in sweet potato can keep the elasticity of blood vessel wall and prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis; Chlorogenic acid in sweet potato can inhibit the production of melanin and prevent the appearance of freckles and senile plaques. Estrogen in sweet potato has the functions of keeping human skin delicate, reducing subcutaneous fat accumulation, moistening skin, and preventing wrinkles and beauty beauty.
Fitness and anti-aging
A study published by Japan's National Institute for Cancer Prevention last year pointed out that dehydroepiandrosterone, a special ingredient in sweet potatoes, can delay aging. The Institute of Nutrition of Stanford University in the United States also confirmed this statement through experiments.
Efficacy of sweet potato leaves
The results showed that every 100 grams of fresh sweet potato leaves contained 2.28 grams of protein, 0.2 grams of fat, 4. 1 g of sugar, 2.3 mg of potassium 1.6 mg of iron, 34 mg of phosphorus, 6.42 mg of carotene and 0.32 mg of vitamin C. Compared with ordinary vegetables, the contents of minerals and vitamins were superior, and the content of carotene was even higher than that of carrots. Therefore, the Asian Vegetable Research Center listed sweet potato leaves as a high-nutrient vegetable variety and called them "vegetable queens".
In recent years, there has been a "sweet potato leaf fever" in Europe, America, Japan and Hong Kong. Food made from sweet potato leaves has even been put on the tables of hotels and restaurants. In China, there are no sweet potato leaves in city supermarkets. It is a great pity that farmers throw sweet potato leaves and stems in the field after harvest, or use them as feed for livestock.
There are many ways to eat sweet potato leaves. Here is a brief introduction. Select fresh and tender leaf tips, blanch them with boiling water, and season them with sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, Chili oil, mustard and ginger juice. , to make cold salad, the appearance is light green, which can make people's appetite open. You can also fry sweet potato leaves with shredded pork, which is fragrant and sweet and has a unique flavor. In addition, sweet potato leaves can be used in soup or porridge. There are canned pickled sweet potato leaves for sale in Japanese market, and we can also add salt to make pickles and side dishes for auxiliary consumption.
Finally, experts added that sweet potato leaves, that is, the tender leaves at the top of the stems of the seedlings on the ground after the sweet potato matures in autumn. Studies have found that sweet potato leaves have health care functions such as improving immunity, stopping bleeding, lowering blood sugar, detoxifying and preventing night blindness. Regular consumption of sweet potato leaves can prevent constipation, protect eyesight, keep skin delicate and delay aging.