Can You Eat Sweet Potato Skins, and Should You? (2024)

FAQs

Can You Eat Sweet Potato Skins, and Should You? ›

You can eat sweet potato skin. It's a good source of fiber, a nutrient that may help lower the risk of heart disease and keep you feeling full for longer periods of time. The next time you make a sweet potato dish, whether it's a roasted side dish or a hearty, cozy casserole, leave the peel on.

Sweet potato skins are both edible and highly nutritious.

They are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that have health-promoting properties. Here are 6 nutrients in sweet potato skins that you may be missing out on by discarding them.

Is the skin of a sweet potato hard to digest? In an interview with Business Insider, registered dietitian nutritionist Carrie Dennett, MPH, says that sweet potato skins can be hard to digest.

If your sweet potato is soft in spots, smells rotten, or oozes a mysterious liquid, that potato should be discarded. Another sign that sweet potatoes have taken a turn for the worse is if they start growing stalky purplish sprouts.

To get the most antioxidants, leave the skins on and choose colorful varieties like red and purple potatoes. The more color, the more antioxidants. Plus, the skin of some potatoes can have up to 12 times more antioxidants than the flesh. Baked potato skin is a great source of potassium and magnesium.

Antioxidants Aplenty

Purple-fleshed sweet potatoes are thought to contain super-high levels of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. As these substances pass through your system, they balance out free radicals -- chemicals that harm your cells.

While all sweet potatoes contain vitamin A, the orange variety has substantially more of it. Beta-carotene and vitamin C help regulate your immune system and boost your body's natural protection against infections.

Therefore, from a nutritional standpoint, boiling rather than baking should be recommended for cooking sweet potato. Boiling may theoretically be best, but sweet potatoes are so incredibly healthy that the actual best way to prepare them is whichever way will get you to eat the most of them!

Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene, and their excessive consumption can lead to hypervitaminosis A (vitamin A toxicity), in which excess vitamin A accumulates in the liver. Although it is not considered harmful, the color of the skin and nails may turn orange. Additionally, sweet potatoes are rich in carbohydrates.

If you enjoy sweet potatoes, you can absolutely enjoy them daily. However, eating multiple sweet potatoes every day could cause a harmless condition called carotenodermia, where your skin turns yellow-orange. You may also want to be cautious about your sweet potato intake if you have a history of kidney stones.

When not to eat potatoes? ›

As they age, or with improper storage, potatoes may develop sprouting and green spots. If there isn't any sprouting, you can use the color change as an indicator of spoilage. If the skin looks greenish or if there's sprouting present, you'll need to remove the sprouts or toss the whole potato, depending on severity.

Potato skins are generally safe to eat and actually contain beneficial nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. However, they can also contain trace amounts of natural compounds like solanine and glycoalkaloids, especially in green or sprouted areas, which might be harmful in large quantities.

Despite their nutritional content, potato skins can be difficult to digest for some people. The skin is tough and fibrous, which can make it hard for the digestive system to break down. This can lead to bloating, gas, and other digestive discomforts.

Absolutely. Besides their health benefits, sweet potatoes are a great addition to any weight loss diet. First up, they're very high in fibre — especially soluble fibre. Soluble fibre is excellent because it slows down your digestion and helps you feel full, which can curb the urge to snack between meals.

Sweet potatoes earned the name "superfood" because of the amount of nutrients they have. Studies show they may help with: Cancer. Carotenoids in sweet potatoes might lower your risk for cancer.

The Okinawan sweet potato plays a central role. It's rich in anthocyanins, giving it a deep purple color, and anti-inflammatory compounds. These compounds may help to protect against age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's, heart disease, and cancer.

Sugar Content

As with all things, excess is bad, and this applies also to your sugar intake. While eating 3.5 ounces of sweet potatoes likely will have a negligible impact on your health, if you eat additional helpings of sweet potatoes, the sugar count can quickly add up.