Issues with sweet potatoes?

[BaconBits]

I see Ray PEat does not like sweet potatoes and I heard him say in his last interview that sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene and that fiber in it would give you gas. I still think that only the orange sweet potatoes will have beta carotene and the light color variety wont.

http://www.beyondblackwhite.com/season- ... -potatoes/


But it seems everybody knows only the orange version and not the white version of sweet potatoes and I could not find a nutritional analysis of white sweet potatoes. also the fiber content of sweet potatoes is not much defferent than regular potatoes.

But when I was researching I found that sweet potatoes are high in oxalate, not so much per gram basis but because the starch content is like 18/100 g (so a lot of it has to be eaten) it will be in the category of heavy oxalate foods. The thing that kind of made me worry it seems that sweet potatoes can be infested with mold that could be there even if its not visible thats deadly. I could not find anything detailed about this mold issue??

http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/01/wh ... -potatoes/

 

[pboy]

basically he says the beta carotene makes them hard to digest...and can cause inflammation. To me, its more just the heavy starch load, fiber, maybe oxalates, and fructans that are more of an issue. Though compared to most starches, they are pretty easy. Yams, the cream colored ones...I used to eat a lot, they are probably easier than potatoes or sweet potatoes to digest, but still have the fructans and fiber so there might be some gas... but probably without any imflammation if they are cooked enough

I threw up once after eating a potato because I didn't peel off all the nodules before I cooked it (basic nightshade potato...I think it was a purple variety) , so I know the soalanine is a very real and acute issue. Soon after eating it my stomach started spazzing out and I yacked. I was still a noob at cooking at the time. With fresh potatoes, or some other clean kind like instant plain potatos, sweet potatoes, yams and other roots, they never gave me much issues other than feeling very full, and maybe a bit of gas as they approached the way out. I think the general concensus is that root starches are less inflammatory than grains, besides maybe rice, and offer more nutrition, so long as they are peeled and cooked until completely soft. But Peat is into complete optimization, so he chooses to eat and gives advice to eat simple sugars from certain ripe fruits, milk, and even cane sugar when they're available. There are many variables that are personal so its kind of up to you to find what keeps you flowing the best in your current life situation, and roots could sometimes play a part. Another bonus of simple sugars over starches is a tangible time benefit, the fact that you can usually eat them without having to cook and can even drink them, and finish within minutes or take on the go...where as starches usually have to be chewed, eaten, cooked, and require some sort of sit down type situation. That might actually be a bonus (of starches) if you were trying to chill with the fam or camping out, or grilling or something

 

[mt_dreams]

Just an FWI foods don't have to be orange to contain beta-carotene. Green & purple will usually take over the color of something, while still containing beta-carotene ... though this usually is the case with plant vegetation which is consumed minimally if following the diet protocol suggestions.