Whether you fry them, mash them or roast them, sweet potatoes are as versatile as they are nutritious. When prepping the tuber to use in recipes likeStuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus DressingorAir-Fryer Sweet Potato Chips, you may be asking yourself, “Can you eat the skin of a sweet potato?” We dive into the research on whether sweet potato skins are edible, and the potential benefits of eating sweet potato skins.
Can You Eat Sweet Potato Skin?
Yes, you can eat sweet potato skin, whether it’s an orange, white or purple sweet potato. So the next time you make sweet potatoes, try keeping the skin on. Not only will it save you prep time and add a textural component to the dish, but there are also nutritional benefits to leaving the peel on. Sweet potatoes are knownfor being good sources of vitamin A, vitamin C and fiber, and research suggests the peel is important for fiber intake.
A 2021 study published inAgronomyexamined various nutritional values of purple-fleshed sweet potatoes that were unpeeled and peeled, and also analyzed the peel itself. They found that peeling the sweet potato led to a 64% loss of fiber compared to the unpeeled version. Researchers concluded that keeping the skin on a sweet potato “is the best condition to maintain the high fiber content.”
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So, why is fiber so important? Well,fiber has a slew of health benefits, including helping lower your risk of heart disease, promoting healthy gut bacteria and helping you stay regular. Plus, fiber can help you feel full for longer periods of time, which may be beneficial for weight loss if that is your goal. The2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americansrecommends eating at least 25 grams of fiber each day for women and 31 grams of fiber for men. For reference,a medium baked sweet potato has about 5 grams of fiber(it’s also one of thetop high-fiber diet foods). Just remember that much of that fiber resides in the sweet potato’s skin.
The Bottom Line
You can eat sweet potato skin. It’s a good source of fiber, a nutrient that may help lower the risk of heart disease and keep you feeling full for longer periods of time. The next time you make a sweet potato dish, whether it’sa roasted side dishora hearty, cozy casserole, leave the peel on.
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