*written by Andrew Akhaphong, Mackenthun's Fine Foods Registered & Licensed Dietitian Do you know the difference between a yam and a sweet potato? They are often mistaken for each and the term is found to be used interchangeably; however, yam and sweet potatoes are not the same plant! What is a Yam?Yams come in many different shapes and sizes. The one pictured above is called an "Elephant Foot Yam" which is found in India and Sri Lanka. The one below is called an African yam, which is found all over Africa and parts of the Middle East. Yams are also a variety of different colors on the inside. The flesh could be white, red, orange, or even purple! No wonder why they can be confusing and are often mixed up with sweet potatoes. Yams, like potatoes, are an edible tuber of plants. There are two types of tubers. Potatoes are swollen underground stem tubers that grow from the stolon while yams are swollen root tubers.
Yams are starchy, tend to have a rough exterior (not all yam species), and have a drier flesh. Although yams are starchy, most of this comes from resistant starch, meaning, the molecules of the starch do not break down as well in heat, preventing it from being too creamy. Sweet potatoes on the other hand tend to have a smoother exterior, are not as starchy, with a more creamy, moist flesh. Yam Nutrition BenefitsIron-deficiency anemia is a condition that results in the lack of the mineral, iron, to bind to a protein in the blood called, hemoglobin. Iron, with hemoglobin, helps absorb oxygen in our lungs and transports that oxygen to our muscles, organs, and other tissues throughout the body. A condition called copper-deficiency anemia, though uncommon, can occur as well. Copper is an important mineral component for our hemoglobin to absorb iron. A 1 cup serving of cooked yam provides almost 22% of your daily copper needs which reduces the risk for both iron-deficiency anemia and copper-deficiency anemia! For those who are working on weight management goals, fat and carbohydrate metabolism is dependent on a lot of different nutrients to function properly. The mineral, manganese, plays an important function for enzymes. Enzymes are a type of protein that work on "digesting" nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Without adequate amounts of manganese, these enzymes may not perform the best. Most sources of manganese come from grains and dark green leafy vegetables; however, a 1 cup serving of yams provide almost 6% of your daily needs! As mentioned earlier, yams are starchy but contain resistant starch. Resistant starch, like fiber, supports consistent blood sugar levels and insulin response. During digestion, when the gut is saturated with resistant starch, insulin has difficulty detecting digested carbohydrates. This prevents the insulin from absorbing these digested carbohydrates too fast while the body works on binding these carbohydrates with the resistant starch to be excreted via bowel movement. Gjelina’s Roasted YamsRecipe from ‘‘Gjelina: Cooking From Venice and California’’ Adapted by Sam Sifton https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017992-gjelinas-roasted-yams INGREDIENTS
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