Nutritionist have studied that eating sweet potatoes with their skin can provide more antioxidants than eating blueberries. Sweet potato are fleshy root vegetables (tubers) rich in nutrients like dietary carotenoids and polysaccharides. These are beneficial for gut health ,hormones, blood sugar and weight control . Most of them have an orange flesh however they can vary in colour from orange to yellow to cream to purple.
Orange sweet potatoes are the sweetest , while other colours are milder with a slightly crumbly texture. They can easily be a part of your breakfast plates or dinner bowls. The rising demand has led to a serious concern for adulterated or fake sweet potatoes entering the market. According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), some sweet potatoes sold in markets may be treated with Rhodamine B. It is a synthetic dye commonly used in textiles, inks, and laboratories and is not edible.
This chemical is unsafe for human consumption and can cause serious health issues, including organ damage and cancer. FSSAI has recommended a simple at-home test where cotton ball soaked in vegetable oil is rubbed on the surface of sweet potato. If the cotton ball remains unchanged , the sweet potato is safe. If it turns reddish or violet, it may be adulterated. This simple test can help us to check adulteration and ensure that we don’t end up eating sweet poison in lieu of sweet potatoes. Once you are sure, you can safely enjoy the health benefits of this wondrous tuber.
