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If you have diabetes, you can eat sweet potatoes every day, as long as you use the carbohydrate count in your vegetable in your diet plan.
“Sweet potatoes are the source of carbohydrates that raise blood sugar levels,” says White. “Those with diabetes can eat carbohydrates, but they need to see foods that have carbohydrates.”
Limit half of sweet potatoes per meal or snack to avoid blood sugar issues. Zanini advises that the portion is then combined with protein sources such as chicken breast and eggs to further stabilize blood sugar levels.
1. Add sweet potatoes to the smoothie
“Add cooked sweet potatoes to the smoothie, add a small banana for sweetness, yogurt for protein boosting, cinnamon and ginger, or pumpkin spices to add a fragrant flavour,” says Tracee Yablon Brenner.
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2. Top sweet potatoes with nut butter and fruit
This combination is a go-to for Atlanta-based registered dietitian nutritionist Marisa Moore. Heat half of the sweet potatoes baked in the toaster oven or microwave, then add a few peanut butter and sliced fresh grapes, she says. If you have this for breakfast, serve extra protein with a side of scrambled eggs.
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3. Make sweet potato toast
“I love cutting sweet potatoes into thin slices and toasting them to make sweet potato toast,” says Abbey Sharp, RD, a registered dietitian in Toronto. “Then you can then turn them on top with your favorite healthy high protein toppings.” She recommends trying cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, or eggs.
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Sprinkle with protein on top and hemp seeds on top.[11]
4. Try the grilled sweet potatoes
Served with flavoured half-baked sweet potatoes and chipotle pepper for sweet and spicy talent, Moore suggests. Or roll some grilled sweet potatoes with nuts and seeds. Try a mixture of chopped pecans, walnuts, hemp seeds and cinnamon.
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5. Mash sweet potatoes
To reduce sugar, Yablon Brenner suggests mashing sweet potatoes cooked with diabetes-friendly seasonings like cinnamon and inger. “Cinnamon brings out the sweetness of sweet potatoes,” she says. “Mashed sweet potatoes are a delicious side to them, and when combined with yogurt, nuts and nut butter, it's a breakfast dish.”
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6. Create a bowl of sweet potatoes
It proposes half a Cube Half blueed Sweet Potato, then a bowl of fried black beans, cooked quinoa and spinach, along with New York-based Toby Amidor (RD), author of The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook. Both black beans and quinoa are high in carbohydrates, but they contain a lot of fiber, making them a diabetes-friendly food when carefully divided and consumed in moderation.
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7. Add sweet potatoes to the soup
“The soup is nutritious, and sweet potatoes add a creamy texture and sweetness to the soup,” he says, adding that his favorite sweet potato soup is made with red lentils, carrots, onions and a variety of spices and herbs.
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Take home
Sweet potatoes may be a good food choice for people with diabetes thanks to their fiber and micronutrient content, and are worth eating moderately as part of a healthy diabetes-friendly diet. Sweet potatoes are the source of carbohydrates. Integrate sweet potatoes into your diet. From hydrated smoothies to satisfying sweet potato toast and seasonal comfort soups.
