Should I buy ‘male sweet potatoes’ or ‘female sweet potatoes’?

Sweet potato is a familiar food that many people enjoy because of its high nutritional value, affordability, and ease of consumption and preparation. Proper use of sweet potatoes brings surprising benefits to health.

Should you choose ‘male sweet potato’ or ‘female sweet potato’?

Perhaps many people are surprised to hear the terms ‘male sweet potato’ and ‘female sweet potato’. In fact, these are colloquial terms that have been used since ancient times and are little known by urban dwellers today.

This designation is based on shape and size. Tubers with a slim, compact, and long shape are called male sweet potatoes. Female sweet potatoes are tubers with a round, plump shape.

According to experienced sweet potato growers, it is best to buy male sweet potatoes because they have a strong, delicious flavor. Moreover, male sweet potatoes with a moderate size are easier to prepare and process.

When buying sweet potatoes, choosing “male sweet potato” or “female sweet potato” is a question that many people have. (Image: seattletimes)

In addition to the difference in shape, when buying sweet potatoes, you should not choose tubers with scratches or uneven colored skin. Avoid tubers with black spots on the skin as these sweet potatoes are rotten and damaged, and even if they are cheap, you should not buy them.

Smelling is also one of the secrets that help us choose delicious and sweet potatoes. If the sweet potato has a strong spicy taste, it means that the tuber has been hollowed out by worms and the flesh will not be edible. If the sweet potato has a light, natural fragrance, it is a high-quality sweet potato.

The benefits of sweet potatoes

According to the advice of Dr. Nguyen Viet Hoang (former Deputy Director of Tuệ Tĩnh Hospital, Hanoi) on Health & Life newspaper, sweet potatoes, although a common type of food, have many excellent values. They are rich in important nutrients such as manganese, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B, choline…

 

Sweet potatoes are very good for health. (Image: nutritionfacts)

If you eat sweet potatoes regularly and properly, you will receive the following benefits:

Reducing the risk of cancer

One of the important effects of sweet potatoes is to counteract oxidation, especially purple sweet potatoes. This type of tuber contains various antioxidants, which are very effective in preventing cancer. The components in purple sweet potatoes – especially the high content of the antioxidant compound anthocyanin – can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, typically stomach cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, or bladder cancer.

Sweet potato extract has the ability to destroy prostate cancer cells, preventing cancer cells from spreading to other parts.

Improving vision

Sweet potatoes contain a lot of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) that helps improve eye health. This is an important vitamin for the formation of light-absorbing pigments in the eyes; it also helps maintain the proper structure of the retina.

Some laboratory studies have shown that the anthocyanin compound in sweet potatoes can protect eye cells and prevent them from being affected or damaged.

Good for diabetics

Diabetic patients, when their diet is imbalanced, will increase the amount of sugar in their blood, making their health condition increasingly serious.

Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, low in fat, and low in sugar, so they are beneficial for people with diabetes. Some studies have shown that anthocyanins in sweet potatoes have a good effect in regulating blood sugar. Therefore, sweet potatoes are good food for people with diabetes.

Boosting the immune system

Sweet potatoes with orange skin have abundant beta-carotene. When this compound enters the body, it will be converted into vitamin A, an extremely important substance for the immune system. Low levels of vitamin A can weaken the immune system.

Eating sweet potatoes to absorb vitamin A also helps maintain a healthy intestinal mucosa.

According to VTC news