Benefits of Sweet Potato Snacks
Don’t underestimate how powerful and nutritious the sweet potato can be. This is a great, easy snack that all seniors can enjoy. This starchy root vegetable is also something that elder care providers can easily prepare in advance for your senior to eat throughout the week. Sweet potatoes are versatile and healthy, with each serving containing a decent quantity of vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese. They are also anti-cancer and may improve immunological function, gut health, brain function, and eye health. Here are some reasons why elder care providers should start preparing more sweet potatoes for your loved one.
High Nutritional Content
Each sweet potato you eat is filled with minerals, vitamins, and fiber that a senior’s body needs to thrive. They are low in calories compared to other foods like donuts and sweets, but they have that deliciously sweet flavor that makes them wonderful if your senior is craving sweets. Furthermore, sweet potatoes, particularly the orange and purple varieties, are high in antioxidants, which protect your body from free radicals. Free radicals are unstable chemicals that may cause DNA damage as well as inflammation. Cancer, heart disease, and aging have all been related to free radical damage. As a result, consuming antioxidant-rich foods is beneficial to your health.
Helps Gut Health
Sweet potatoes’ fiber and antioxidants may be good for intestinal health. Sweet potatoes contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Either kind cannot be digested by your body. As a result, fiber remains in your digestive system and delivers a number of gut-related health advantages. If you are looking for a way to promote good gut bacteria, then start snacking on sweet potatoes.
Supporting a Healthy Vision
Have you ever been worried about your seniors’ eyesight? If you are, you should encourage them to eat more sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene, the antioxidant that gives the food its vibrant orange color. This is the same thing that can improve eye health or prevent vision loss. However, along with a healthy diet, a senior should always be going to a doctor to get their eyes checked yearly.
Brain Function
Sweet potatoes may help a senior’s brain function. There are minerals in sweet potatoes that may help lower inflammation around the brain, preventing free radical damage. However, more studies need to be done to prove this to be true for humans. That doesn’t make them any less healthy; they still provide tons of amazing benefits.
Immune System Boost
If you want to give your seniors’ immune systems a boost, have elder care providers prep sweet potatoes for them. Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are one of the finest natural sources of beta-carotene, a plant-based molecule that your body converts to vitamin A. This vitamin plays a huge role in how healthy your immune system is, and it is crucial to get enough of this vitamin. It’s also essential for maintaining healthy mucous membranes, particularly in the stomach lining. Many potentially disease-causing microorganisms enter your body via the intestines. As a result, a healthy stomach is an essential component of a healthy immune system.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Elder Care in Sacramento, CA please contact the caring staff at Aging Assistant today. (916) 897-4752