Sweet potato has a high starch content. Starch is a kind of polysaccharide, which can eventually be decomposed into glucose monosaccharide. If glucose is ingested in excess, it will be converted into fat and accumulated. Therefore, if you eat too much sweet potato, it may lead to obesity due to excessive sugar intake. However, the dietary fiber content in sweet potatoes is also very rich. Dietary fiber is a substance that cannot be digested by the stomach and intestines, and will eventually be excreted together with food residues. Dietary fiber will make use of its own morphological advantages to clean up the dead angle of the stomach and bring out some residues during the roaming of the stomach and intestines. In addition, because it can't be digested, it can delay the digestion speed of the stomach, and the emptying speed of the stomach will be reduced, so it can increase the good satiety. With a sense of fullness, you can better control your appetite and not go.
Because sweet potato can slow down the absorption rate of sugar, it can better stabilize postprandial blood sugar, and glucose is not easily converted into glycogen and eventually into fat. Sweet potato is rich in starch and dietary fiber, which can be used instead of staple food. Compared with rice and white flour, sweet potato retains more dietary fiber components, more minerals and vitamins, and is superior to potato foods rich in dietary fiber in terms of nutritional value and maintaining blood sugar stability after meals. Therefore, the best way to eat sweet potatoes is to change the staple food into some rice and pasta. However, if you have eaten enough staple food for three meals, eating more sweet potatoes may help you gain weight because of excessive sugar intake. In addition, sweet potatoes should not be eaten in excess, not only because of excessive sugar intake, but also because of abdominal distension and abdominal pain.
Whether sweet potato is a diet food or a fattening food is actually controversial, but Tang Xiao believes that this controversy is caused by the different eating methods of sweet potato. As long as it is eaten correctly, sweet potato does have a weight loss effect.
Sweet potato has lower calories than rice, contains almost no fat and cholesterol, and is rich in dietary fiber, which can improve satiety and thus reduce calorie intake. Sweet potato is also rich in resistant starch, similar to dietary fiber, which can promote satiety and regulate blood sugar and blood lipid. So sweet potato has a certain weight loss effect.
Then why do some people suspect that sweet potatoes are getting fat?
The main reason is the wrong way to eat. Some people think that sweet potatoes can lose weight, so they eat a lot. Others regard sweet potatoes as dessert after meals, which is undoubtedly an extra calorie intake. It is strange that this way of eating is not fat. There is also the wrong cooking method, such as eating fried sweet potato balls and braised sweet potatoes in oil, so the calories of eating sweet potatoes are much higher than the sweet potatoes themselves.
So, how to eat sweet potatoes to lose weight?
1. Eat sweet potato instead of staple food or mixed with staple food, such as steamed sweet potato, sweet potato porridge, sweet potato rice, sweet potato noodles, etc. After this combination, the satiety is stronger and the nutrition is richer.
2. Sweet potato with vegetables and high-protein foods, such as lettuce, eggs and fish, is a good diet.
Finally, pay attention to whether to eat sweet potatoes on an empty stomach, especially those with stomach problems. Sweet potatoes should not be eaten too much at a time, so as not to cause discomfort such as bloating and heartburn.