It's no surprise that sales of sweet potatoes, pumpkins and other orange squash hit their peak during the fall and winter holidays. But retailers might want to keep promotions in mind for rest of the year. Not only are the fruits and tubers themselves becoming popular, they're being added as ingredients in prepared foods, such as frozen fries for kids and snack chips.
“The beautiful color in these items comes from the phytochemicals, which I call little bodyguards that protect us from aging and disease,” said Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian in Tampa and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
Sweet potatoes and pumpkins also are high in fiber and beta carotene, and possess a natural sweetness that reduces or eliminates the need for sugar in processed foods. Best of all, however, is that they score low on the glycemic index, like other foods with lots of fiber and complex carbohydrates. The combined benefits are hard to pass up.
“They keep you fuller for longer, and then give you more of a sustained blood sugar level, instead of a spike and drop, so that people feel more energetic,” Sass said. “They're not getting these crazy ups and downs in their blood sugar.”
The GI is becoming more popular in the United States. A study published in last month's issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that women who follow a low-glycemic diet during pregnancy may prevent problems like diabetes in their offspring. The findings also suggested that the maintaining a low glycemic index might reduce an expecting mother's risk of gestational diabetes.
“Because birth weight and [height-weight] index predict long-term risk of obesity and chronic disease, a low-glycemic index diet in pregnancy may favorably influence long-term outcomes,” the researchers wrote.
Ain't that sweet?
