What is the difference between purple sweet potato and sweet potato? A quick guide to telling them apart
The purple sweet potato is also called black sweet potato, and its flesh ranges from purple to deep purple. Besides containing the nutrients found in ordinary sweet potato, it is also rich in selenium and anthocyanins. Like the sweet potato, it belongs to the sweet potato family, yet it has its own unique characteristics and health effects, which is exactly why the two are distinguished from each other. Let us take a look below at what the difference is between purple sweet potato and sweet potato!
Is purple sweet potato more anti-cancer than sweet potato
The purple sweet potato is currently very popular on the international market. It contains abundant protein, 18 kinds of amino acids that are easily digested and absorbed by the human body, 8 kinds of vitamins including vitamins A, B and C, and more than 10 kinds of natural mineral elements such as phosphorus and iron, which are essential elements for fighting fatigue and replenishing blood in the human body. Like the sweet potato, the purple sweet potato is also rich in cellulose, which can promote detoxification, improve the environment of the digestive tract and prevent gastrointestinal diseases.
The sweet potato is a star among anti-cancer foods, and the purple sweet potato is even more anti-cancer than the sweet potato. Besides the nutrients contained in the sweet potato, it is also rich in selenium and anthocyanins. Among these, selenium is known as the “king of anti-cancer”; it is easily absorbed by the human body and can also remain in the blood serum, enhancing the body's immunity, clearing free radicals in the body, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells and preventing the occurrence of cancer. Anthocyanins, meanwhile, are the most direct, effective and safe free radical scavengers so far discovered by the scientific community that can prevent and treat diseases and maintain human health. Their ability to clear free radicals is 20 times that of vitamin C and 50 times that of vitamin E, and they have preventive and therapeutic effects on more than 100 diseases.
However, note that the purple sweet potato contains a relatively large amount of carbohydrates, so it is best not to eat more than 200 grams at a time.
What the purple sweet potato has more of than the sweet potato is anthocyanins
Nutritionists point out that, compared with common sweet potato and white sweet potato, the purple sweet potato shows no great difference in protein, sugar content and so on; the only difference is its colour. The purple colour of the purple sweet potato comes mainly from the “anthocyanins” it contains.
If we speak of the distinctive nutritional value of the purple sweet potato, then it must be its “anthocyanins”. Research shows that anthocyanins are a class of antioxidant substances that can help the human body deal with free radicals (much evidence shows that free radicals can cause oxidative damage to fats, proteins and nucleic acids, and are an important cause of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurological diseases).
Anthocyanins are a large class of substances, widely present in the tissues of all dark red, purple or blue vegetables and fruits, such as grapes, blackberries, figs, cherries, aubergines, purple sweet potato, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries, hawthorn skin, perilla, black (red) rice and so on.
Do not blindly pursue the health benefits of eating purple sweet potato
In recent years, many claims have advocated eating foods that are “deep in colour”, such as purple sweet potato, purple cabbage, black rice, and deeply coloured fruits such as blueberries and blackberries, all of which are related to the different levels of anthocyanins they contain.
In fact, a balanced diet and the pursuit of a wide variety of foods are always the principles of healthy eating. The public should not think that because a certain food has health benefits, they should keep eating only that one food in order to treat and prevent disease. Food is food; each has its own advantages and specialities, and all contain various nutrients that the human body needs. In addition, no matter which kind of sweet potato it is, eating a lot of it will cause bloating and acid reflux. Because sweet potatoes are high in starch, and sweet potato in particular has a sweet, glutinous texture, it is not recommended to cook them by deep-frying or adding sugar, so as not to give the body too much energy. Because the purple sweet potato has a more mealy texture, it can be cut into pieces and cooked with rice into congee, or steamed and mashed and mixed with flour to make sweet potato cakes.
Note: Although the purple sweet potato has characteristics and nutrients that ordinary sweet potato does not, it also should not be eaten in excess. Like sweet potato, eating too much of it will instead place a burden on the stomach and intestines.