Should you eat sweet potatoes when hungry?

Sweet potatoes are a familiar food to most Vietnamese people. In our country, many varieties of sweet potatoes are grown throughout the country, such as white sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, and yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are easy to prepare into many traditional dishes such as boiled, baked, jam, cakes, and sweet potato desserts.

According to an article in VnExpress, Traditional Medicine Practitioner Bui Dac Sang from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology shared that sweet potatoes are a food with high nutritional content, including protein, lipids, vitamins, fiber, and other minerals.

Despite being highly nutritious, sweet potatoes are quite low in calories, containing only 85 calories per 100g. This is a key factor in their inclusion in the list of foods that support weight loss.

Is it okay to eat sweet potatoes on an empty stomach?

According to an article on the Long Chau Pharmacy website, with content reviewed by University Pharmacist Tran Thi Duong, eating sweet potatoes may not be the best option if you are hungry.

Sweet potatoes stimulate the secretion of stomach acid, so if you have stomach problems, avoid eating sweet potatoes on an empty stomach to prevent worsening your condition. Sweet potatoes are high in sugar, and eating them on an empty stomach can increase gastric acid secretion, causing symptoms such as heartburn, bloating, and acid reflux.

To reduce these effects, boil sweet potatoes thoroughly and add a little alcohol during cooking to destroy enzymes that cause indigestion. Drinking ginger water can also help reduce bloating. Additionally, eating sweet potatoes on an empty stomach can lower blood pressure and reduce fatigue due to a drop in blood sugar.

Eating sweet potatoes on an empty stomach is not the best option (Illustrative image: Pixabay)

When is the best time to eat sweet potatoes?

Here's when eating sweet potatoes can affect their effectiveness for weight loss.

Eat sweet potatoes for breakfast.

Pharmacist Nguyen Tuan Trinh, from the University of Pharmacy, shared on the Long Chau Pharmacy website that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so you need to choose foods that provide energy and nutrients to your body.

Sweet potatoes are a great breakfast choice because they contain complex carbohydrates, fiber, and many vitamins and minerals. Eating sweet potatoes for breakfast helps you feel full for longer, reduces hunger pangs, and prevents overeating at subsequent meals.

In addition, sweet potatoes help boost the immune system, provide antioxidants, and improve skin health. You can eat sweet potatoes boiled, baked, steamed, or in salads, sticky rice, desserts, cakes, etc., to diversify your diet.

Eat sweet potatoes for lunch.

According to the Hellobacsi website, lunch provides the necessary energy for the body after a morning of work. However, if you eat too much rice, bread, noodles, pho, etc., you will easily gain weight and feel tired.

Instead, you should eat sweet potatoes instead of foods high in starch. Sweet potatoes will provide you with enough energy without causing a spike in blood sugar and insulin. This helps reduce your risk of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

Furthermore, eating sweet potatoes at lunch helps you absorb calcium better, an important mineral for bones and joints. You should eat sweet potatoes around 12-13h, when sunlight is most effective for calcium absorption. You can combine sweet potatoes with green vegetables, beans, meat, fish, eggs, etc., to enhance the taste and balance the nutrition.

Khanh An (compiled)

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