Sweet Potatoes: The Healthiest Vegetable

The Center for Science in the Public Interest calculated a "Score" for each vegetable by adding up its percent of the USRDA for six nutrients plus fiber. This is a comparison of Sweet Potatoes and Carrots. Sweet Potatoes have a total of 582 points. For example one medium raw carrot has a score of 434 points It has 405 percent of the USDRA for vitamin A (405 points), 11 percent for vitamin C (11 points), 9 percent for fiber (9 points), 3 percent for foliate (3 points), and 2 percent each for calcium, iron, and copper (6 points). Therefore, as you can see Sweet Potatoes are more wholesome and better for us than carrots.

	Score	Vit A	Vit C	Folate	Iron	Copper	Calcium	Fiber
Vegetable (1/2 cup cooked, unless noted)
Sweet Potato, No Skin	582			*
Carrot, raw	434							*
Carrots	408					*		*
= contains at least ten percent of the USRDA * = contains between five and nine percent of the USRDA

START COUNTING
The National Cancer Institute recommends that we eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, especially vegetables that are rich in vitamins A and C. And don't complain that you can't "digest" vegetables or that your kids won't eat them. Few people have trouble with carrots or sweet potatoes. So stop wasting time. I can smell those sweet potatoes baking already.

back

History : Mississippi Market Trends : Recipes : Nutrition : About the Council : How to Order
Media : Newsletter : Links : Search : Home

Webmaster: Shauna Dickens