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Yam Nutrition: What is Yam?
This is an exotic root vegetable which is grown
in many different colors, shapes and size. Yams are
available in white, yellow and purple varieties. This
tropical vegetable is cooked and eaten in very much
the same way as potatoes. It is a starchy food
which contains essential carbohydrates, which are
slowly released, and is the
main starchy element to main meals.
Yam Nutrition Facts and
Nutritional Data
There are many health benefits to be gained from
eating this root vegetable! It is a very healthy vegetable
crammed full of nutrition in the form of
vitamins and minerals. The yam nutritional value is
high as it provides vitamin B1, vitamin B3, vitamin
B5, vitamin B6, vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as
essential nutrients including potassium, fiber,
beta-carotene, folic acid, calcium, iron, selenium
and zinc.
This root
vegetable benefits the health as it is full of fibre and
potassium, but they are low in sodium. This particular
healthy root vegetable can help to aid the digestive
system and actively reduce stress as the natural
presence of essential B vitamins help to energize the
body and improve concentration. |
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Yam Nutrition: Facts
and Health Benefits
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The nutrition
of yams is high as they are full of essential
nutrients and vitamins!
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Try using salt
water to boil yams - it will benefit as the yam will
retain its colour!
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Raw yam
contains a poison under the skin (see Preparing Yam
for Cooking for further details)
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Yam is grown
in tropical areas where the climate is hot enough to
cultivate this healthy root vegetable!
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Yams are not
sweet potatoes - they are separate types of
vegetables!
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Yam Nutrition Carbs and Calories: Nutritional Content
and Information
The root vegetable is low in calories and can form a healthy part of a controlled diet. The amount of calories
and carbs depends on the way that it is cooked, for example it is
fried, roasted, stewed, baked, stir-fried, steamed,
mashed or boiled. The
following calorie guide can be used to calculate the
amount of carbohydrates and calories in yams:
Nutrition Info:
Carbohydrates and
Calories in Yam per 100 grams:
Yam
flesh nutrition - 114 calories yams / 28.2g carbs
Yam flesh boiled
nutrition - 133 calories yams / 33g carbs |
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Yam Nutrition: History and Nutritional Information about Vitamins and
Nutrition
A yam is a tuber which is grown all
year round in tropical countries. This particular
healthy vegetable is often mistaken for the sweet
potato, however, yams and sweet potatoes share some
similarities i.e. they are both starchy root vegetables
and tubers but they are separate types of vegetables.
Yams cannot be grown in normal climates as they require
hot tropical weather for cultivation. The history of
yams dates back thousands of years. Many varieties of
yam are thought to have first originated in parts of the
world such as China, Africa and America. This tropical
vegetable was introduced to other countries during the
16th century as a consequence of the slave trade.
Yam
Nutrition: Varieties and Information about Nutrition
There are many different types of
yams including the Indian yam (cush-cush), the great
yam, the sweet yam and the Chinese yam. The greater yam
has reached record weights of approximately 150 pounds!
Many of the yams which we recognize, particularly
available for sale in Europe, have thick, tough, brown
whiskery skin and are similar in size to large potatoes.
Yam flesh is typically white, creamy or red in color.
Yam Nutrition:
Preparing
for Cooking and Retaining Vitamins and
Nutrition
When selecting yams for cooking,
always look for ones with firm skin that is undamaged.
Nice, healthy yams will have creamy moist flesh.
An interesting fact about yams which is very different
to the ordinary potato, is that they contain a poison
under the skin which produces an allergic reaction.
Although it is important to remove this layer directly
under the skin, along with the yam's skin, by cutting or
peeling it away, the poison is in fact eradicated during
the cooking process. The name of the poison is
dioscorine. When peeling yams, you should wear gloves
and always discard of the the yam peelings carefully.
Remember to wash your hands after preparing yam. |
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Yam Nutrition:
How to Cook
Yam can be cooked in similar ways to ordinary potatoes. Yam can lose its color
during the cooking process, therefore, if you boil yam,
use salted water to prevent this from happening. This
versatile root vegetable can be cooked in many different
ways including boiling, mashing, saut�ing, frying,
baking and roasting.
Yams are used in many different,
special recipes. For example, some African yam recipes
provide instruction on how to make yam into a dough by
pound boiling it and serving it as an accompaniment to
spicy stews and soups. There are excellent yam recipes
that are extremely tasty and delicious! |
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Health
experts and nutritionists believe that a well-balanced
diet that includes at least five portions of fruit and
vegetables per day will help to considerably improve our
lifestyles and ultimately extend our lives |
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