Are sweet potatoes really healthier than regular, “white” potatoes? In a word: yes. For starters, the most obvious difference between the two relatives is the vibrant orange color of the so-called “sweet” variety. Carotenoids, much like those found in carrots, are naturally occurring pigments which impart this easily identifiable characteristic of sweet potatoes. Apart from their well established antioxidant properties, select carotenoids, such as beta carotene are used by the body in the manufacture of Vitamin A, an essential nutrient. But, that’s not all that sets sweet potatoes apart from paler potatoes. Sweet potatoes are also higher in fiber and Vitamin C, and equivalent in most other nutrients including potassium. However, before you feel too good about ordering a side of sweet potato fries, you should also be aware that they’re not all they’re cracked up to be – especially for diabetics.

Read more »

A presentation given at last week’s national meeting of the American Chemical Society made headlines that you may have heard or read about. The claim made was that eating two daily servings of potatoes can lower blood pressure so that the “undeserved bad reputation” of potatoes ought to be reassessed. To that I say, not so fast. There are several key details that are important to note when considering this research and topic: 1) The variety of potatoes used in the current trial (purple potatoes) contain antioxidant pigments, similar to those found in blueberries and red wine, which may reduce blood pressure in and of themselves.  2) Some research suggests that purple potatoes contain higher potassium content than more popular varieties such as white Idaho potatoes. 3) Diets rich in foods containing potassium are capable of lowering hypertension whether they contain potatoes or not. 4) There are many other ways of managing high blood pressure naturally, such as switching from common table salt to any number of salt alternatives which feature essential minerals including magnesium and potassium.

Read more »

Part of the reason why I make it a point to describe positive scientific studies is to offer hope. Buried within the statistics of clinical trials are dozens, hundreds and sometimes even thousands of individual success stories. But, I fear that’s often forgotten. The people who take part in the interventions I document are just like you and me. They have doubts about their ability to get healthier. They’re pressed for time. They may not even fully trust the people conducting the research in the first place! However, the one thing they accomplish, at least for the duration of the trial, is to act in pursuit of better health. Read more »

One of the downsides of reporting on natural health and nutrition is that you sometimes have to share bad news. Today is one of those days. I have some rather bleak news about one of the world’s most popular snacks. But, I’ll temper that information with some really good news about an exotic fruit that hopefully will become more popular very soon. Read more »