The benefits of sweet potatoes for pregnant women: many and important
Are potatoes healthy food during pregnancy? What are the benefits of sweet potatoes for pregnant women? Is it possible for sweet potatoes to harm the pregnant woman?
In the following, we will introduce you to the benefits of sweet potatoes for pregnant women:
Benefits of sweet potatoes for pregnant women
The benefits of sweet potatoes for pregnant women are attributed to the richness of this type of vegetable with many nutrients important for the health of the pregnant woman and the health of her fetus, such as the following nutrients:
1. Potassium
Sweet potatoes are a vegetable rich in potassium, and potassium is an important nutrient during pregnancy, as a pregnant woman getting adequate amounts of it may help:
- Edema, or fluid retention, is a common condition that affects pregnant women.
- Regulating the blood pressure levels of a pregnant woman.
2. Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
Biotin is one of the important nutrients for a pregnant woman and her fetus, and sweet potatoes contain a good amount of biotin.
Since pregnant women may be more likely than others to have low biotin levels, eating sweet potatoes may help reduce the chances of a pregnant woman developing this deficiency.
3. Vitamin B6
Morning sickness is one of the common problems that a pregnant woman may afflict, and one of the most prominent vitamins that may help combat this problem is vitamin B6, so because sweet potatoes contain good levels of vitamin B6, one of the benefits of sweet potatoes for pregnant women may be to resist and relieve morning sickness.
The benefits of vitamin B6 for pregnancy are not limited to the aforementioned, as this vitamin may also help to: ensure proper brain development of the fetus, and stimulate the production of sufficient quantities of red blood cells.
4. Vitamin A
Sweet potatoes are good natural sources of Vitamin A and beta-carotene which are later converted to Vitamin A when they enter the body.
Vitamin A is one of the important types of vitamins during pregnancy, as getting an adequate portion of it may help maintain a normal pace of fetal growth and the differentiation and division of its body cells, especially when it comes to the growth and development of the following:
- The eyes of the fetus and his sense of sight.
- Fetal bones.
5. Iron
Sweet potatoes are one of the good sources of iron, so one of the benefits of sweet potatoes for pregnant women is that it may help provide her body with this nutrient, which the body needs to produce sufficient amounts of red blood cells and reduce the chances of anemia.
6. Folate
One of the benefits of sweet potatoes for pregnant women is that it may help supply her body with adequate amounts of folate, which may help reduce the chances of the following:
- The emergence of congenital defects in the fetus.
- Anemia.
- The birth of a baby with low body weight.
7. Other nutrients
Sweet potatoes also contain a variety of important nutrients that may be important for the health of the pregnant woman and the fetus, such as:
- Dietary fiber, which may help lower your chances of developing diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and constipation.
- Vitamin C, which may help: Strengthen the immune system, and improve the growth of gum and bone tissue in the fetus.
General health benefits of sweet potatoes
These are some of the benefits of sweet potatoes for health in general that may make them healthy food for many groups, including pregnant women:
- Improving and facilitating digestion in the body, and helping to treat stomach ulcers.
- Reducing infections that may affect different areas of the body, and strengthening and strengthening the body's immune defenses.
- Reducing the severity of some health problems that may affect the respiratory system, such as congestion and bronchitis.
- Maintain normal and healthy blood sugar levels.
- Maintain body moisture and prevent dehydration.
- Other benefits, such as: warming the body, relieving the pain associated with arthritis, reducing the chances of developing cancer, and reducing bad cholesterol levels.
Sweet potato nutritional value
Every 100 grams of raw sweet potato contains:
Water | 77.28 grams |
energy | 86 calories |
dietary fiber | 3 g |
proteins | 1.57 g |
iron | 0.61 milligrams |
potassium | 337 milligrams |
vitamin C | 2.4 milligrams |
Vitamin B6 | 0.209 milligrams |
folate | 11 micrograms |
beta carotenoids | 8509 mcg |
Vitamin A | 12,187 IU |
Sweet potato side effects
Although the benefits of sweet potatoes for pregnant and non-pregnant women are numerous, the harms of this type of vegetable also exist, and these are some of the harms of sweet potatoes:
- Stimulating body weight gain, sweet potatoes are rich in carbohydrates.
- The emergence of some symptoms and health complications in people allergic to sweet potatoes.
- Stimulating possible health complications in the kidneys, because sweet potatoes contain potassium and oxalate, and these substances may cause: worsening of the health status of those with kidney problems and stimulating the emergence of health complications in those who have previously had kidney problems.