Secret Food Series - Sweet Potato (7 of 10)

secretswpotato.PNG

Does “being healthy” feel like a daunting task? Like everything “good” is off limits and a really good diet is pretty boring? I thought like this for a long time too…but I'm happy to say it's not the case ;-)

Eating healthy is fun! I'm being serious here…there are hundreds of different healthy foods that taste amazing and give you tons of energy…I cannot wait to share them with you! That's why I created“ The Secret Foods” blog series which will be dedicated to the most amazing foods on the planet (in no particular order), What they are, Why they are important, and How to enjoy them…  Here goes… 

 

Top 10 AMAZING goods you need on your plate TODAY

 

#7 of 10 Sweet Potatoes

 

What they are…

Sweet potatoes are root vegetables. Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potatoes do not belong to the nightshade family. Interestingly, they belong in the morning glory plant family. Sweet potatoes origin from Central/South America. The flavor of sweet potatoes is just like their name explains, sweet! There are tons of varieties of sweet potatoes, around 200 commonly eaten species worldwide! Depending on the variety of the sweet potato, the skin and flesh differ from white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, or deep purple. White/cream and yellow-orange flesh are the most common. Sometimes the shape will look similar to a potato, being short and blocky with rounded ends, while other times be longer with tapered ends. Sweet potatoes can be found year-round, however are in peak season in November and December

 

Why they’re important…

Not only are sweet potatoes delicious, they are extra nutritious. Sweet potatoes are an excellent carbohydrate source pre, or post exercise. They are also a super source of vitamin A, provide good amounts of vitamin C and can help fight inflammation.

Top 5 Health Benefits…

1. Packed with Vitamin A: Similar to our other secret food, pumpkin, sweet potatoes are packed with Vitamin A. One sweet potato contains up to 100% of your daily vitamin A intake. Vitamin A is super important in helping the skin and mucus membranes effectively repel bacteria and viruses. Additionally, vitamin A is critical in maintaining healthy eyesight.

2. Vitamin C power: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, this guy naturally fights against oxidative stress and free radicals. (Athletes tend to have increased oxidative stress and free radicals, so vitamin C is extra important for you!) While vitamin C may not actually prevent your next cold, it has however, been found to shorten the duration. Plus, vitamin C aids in muscle recovery.

3. Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients. The color related pigments in sweet potatoes are valuable for their anti-inflammatory health benefits. Having these post exercise is a great way to rebound between practices.

4. Healthy carbohydrates! It is true, you do need carbohydrates to fuel your workouts. Sweet potatoes also have a low glycemic index, which means the carbohydrates are digested and absorbed gradually. The carbohydrate is acting like an IV of energy to your muscles, providing sustained energy for long workouts.

5. Keeps you full. Sweet potatoes are a full of fiber, who slows food down as it goes through your body. Eating these can help keep you full for a few hours. Fiber makes sweet potatoes is a great addition to your breakfast and to fuel up if you know you’ll be having a long day.

 

How to Enjoy it...

When finding the perfect sweet tater, look for one that is frim without and cracks, bruises or soft spots. Sweet potatoes should be stored in cool, dark well-ventilated places. They’ll keep fresh for more than 2 weeks. Ideally, do not keep in the refrigerator. A good place would be in a brown paper bag, punched with holes in a well-ventilated cupboard.

Ways to Eat them!....

Sweet potatoes can be easy to prepare, whether you’re feeding a large crowd, or shooting for a simple weeknight dinner. Keep the peel on them for extra fiber, just make sure to give it a little scrub with water before you begin prepping them.

Top 5 Ways to Eat them…!

1. Mash them for breakfast! Puree cooked sweet potatoes with bananas, maple syrup and cinnamon. Top with chopped walnuts to help absorb the vitamin A.

2. Make them into “fries”. Cut sweet potato into ½ inch wide sticks. In a large bowl, toss strips of sweet potatoeswith 2Tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 400*F for 15-20 minutes.

3. Chips! A healthy guilty pleasure to snack on, or with a meal. You can find a chip recipe here: https://elevatemynutrition.com/eat-to-peak/prepost-workout-snack/

4. Baked. Simple and delicious. Pierce a sweet potato 5-6 times with a fork. Place in a pre-heated 400*F oven and bake for 45minutes to 1 hour. Baked sweet potatoes are great even when they are cold! They can make a great to-go lunch.

5. Cube them and steam them. Cut sweet potatoes into ½ inch cubes. Fill the bottom of a pot with 2” of water. Bring water to a boil, then add in sweet potatoes. Steamed sweet potatoes could go great with eggs, or seasoned on the side of a healthy protein at dinner.

 

Lindsay Wexler, RDN, LD

Clinical Dietitian at the University of Nevada, Reno

Website: ElevateMyNutrition.com

 

Email: elevatemynutrition@gmail.com

Similar Articles and Other Posts You Might Like
The Purpose of the Defensive Specialist

If there was one position in volleyball that gets a bad rap, it is the Defensive Specialist. While it is easy to write-off these players, just as Setters, Pin Hitters, Middles, and Liberos have roles to take care of, so do Defensive Specialists! Check out our volleyball dictionary definition for Defensive Specialist, intangible qualities a coach wants to see on the court and the 1 key to being a great Defensive Specialist.

Read More →
Adapting Youth Volleyball Training to Young Athletes - Response to Article by The Art of Coaching Volleyball

We can all agree that volleyball in the United States is on the up and up. With increased participation numbers, national team success and TV-visibility of collegiate teams, what do we need to do in order to continue the upward growth? I see way too many coaches, at all pre-college levels, plugging players into what they view as their 6 player roles. I love Stone’s 4 player, badminton sized court play…

Read More →
5 Things to Improve Your Volleyball Game This Summer

I have had many players ask what they can do this summer to improve their volleyball game. It is a great question to answer because it means that our players are taking their development seriously outside of the regular club season. To be great, or even good, there is no true  “off season”. The months outside of the club season are more like a different phase of training. Everyone has a limited amount of time and energy, so it is important to recognize how/what you can do to achieve your goals.

Read More →
Healing Foods - Protein

Let’s speed up our recovery. Consuming protein rich foods will aid healing and are essential in coming back from a sports injury.  The body makes millions of new proteins daily to replace worn-out proteins who make connective tissue, red blood cells, and muscles.  There are two types of proteins...

Read More →
NCAA Division I Volleyball - Tournament Time

If you are in need of a little Monday motivation after what I hope was a rockin' relaxing Thanksgiving, then look no further.  In case you missed it, yesterday the bracket for the post-season tournaments were revealed and we've tracked down some of the amazing videos that show teams reactions as well as articles that explain how the committee made the decision on the last four teams into the NCAA Division I National Championship Tournament.  And did you know there is a second post-season tournament? 

Read More →
Healing Foods - Vitamin A

Vitamin A is the name of a whole group of fat soluble vitamins called retinoids (retinol, retinal and retinyl esters to be exact). Vitamin A has been shown to be a valuable piece in the injury healing puzzle. When your body starts to heal, it needs to grow new tissue to fix the damaged pieces. Cells are used to reproduce and create this new tissue.

Read More →
Club Volleyball - Finding the Best Spot For You

I dub this article the post tryout autopsy. The hard part is over you think -- you made it through tryouts with the drills and the physical tests, all while acting as if it was just another day at the office.  You take off the sweaty knee pads, walk out of tryouts and wait… wait… wait to see what team you made.  Maybe you check every day even though results are not supposed to be for another five days, but just in case you check.  And then finally the link is up...

Read More →
NCAA Division I Volleyball - Beginning of November

While I may not have been able to watch as much volleyball as I would have liked recently, there has been plenty volleying all around the country.  For most if not all conferences, November brings the back half of conference play which means a lot of teams meeting for the second time.

These rematches are fun to watch because you can make predictions based on the last matchup and still be surprised!!

Read More →
Healing Foods - Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Healing foods aid with muscle recovery, tendon injuries and help decrease time to get back into rotation. Your body is built to heal from the inside out. Eating foods to support recovery is extremely important in the healing process.Omega-3 fatty acids are important to normal metabolism, the breakdown of food and use of nutrients in our bodies. This helps our bodies utilize nutrients needed for the body to repair an injury.  

Read More →
NCAA Division I Volleyball - 1st Week of October

We have made it to the 1st October week of volleyball.  Check out the recent big upsets, what it means for the teams. What's going on in conference play and the big milestone that was hit by one of the best volleyball coaches in the nation...

Read More →
Healing Foods - Vitamin C

As a volleyball player, getting hurt happens. Injuries can be a super downer to your momentum and psyche. It can be disheartening and frustrating when you can’t train to your full capacity. Thankfully, food is another component. Your body is built to heal from the inside out. Eating foods to support recovery is extremely important in the healing process. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is required to synthesize collagen. Collagen is a protein your body uses to make connective tissues such as tendons, ligaments and skin.

Read More →
NCAA Division I Volleyball - Week 2

Week 2 of collegiate volleyball! Enough said -- come check out my takeaways from the weekend

Read More →
NCAA Division I Volleyball - Week 1

NCAA volleyball season is finally upon us! Find out info including how many undefeated teams are in the top 25, how many 5 set matches have been played already and who the AVCA player of the week is...

Read More →
Elevating Athlete Nutrition - Coffee, Energy Drinks, and other Caffeinated Beverages

Keeping with the topic of fluids and performance, let’s talk caffeine. Many athletes enjoy a little caffeine lift in the morning, during lunch breaks, before training and during competition. However, the question comes up regarding caffeine and performance. To caffeinate, or not to caffeinate. We can talk about caffeine as a part of a sports diet and try to help you determine if you want to take it, or leave it in regards to your performance.  Science does have proof that caffeine can be beneficial for athletic performance. Caffeine has been tested in many studies as an ergogenic aid (ability to enhance physical performance) for endurance and short term-high intensity exercise.

Read More →
Love Always, Volleyball

Saying I learned a lot about my self during that time would be an understatement.  There was clearly much more independence because you are living away from your family, in my case approximately 1,400 miles away.  And managing a college schedule with volleyball was different than anything I had experienced in high school.  I made it through my first season but almost immediately I began to reevaluate whether I was where I wanted to be

Read More →
Elevating Athlete Nutrition - Hydrate

It is no secret, many factors go into making us a star. We’ve talked a lot about the food part of fueling, but, one of the most important aspects to nutrition is actually not food. It’s liquid! Unfortunately, athletes often forget to properly hydrate. A lot of us only think about drinking water when they are thirsty, and by then, it may already be too late. Thirst sensation doesn’t appear until we are around 1 to 2 percent dehydrated. Dehydration can affect athletic performance in a negative way. Mild dehydration can alter one’s mood, energy level and ability to think clearly.

Read More →
3 Types of Failures That Can Create Better Volleyball Players

If you just glanced over the title, I want to repeat it for you to make sure you didn’t miss the most important word.  3 Types of Failures That Can Make You a Better Volleyball Player, can. Three little letters which clarify that nothing is automatic. You cannot show up to the gym and spontaneously improve. You cannot think up a dream and inevitably achieve it. You cannot fail and automatically learn

3 Types of Failures That Can Create Better Volleyball Players

Inescapable Failures: competing higher than your skill level...

Read More →
Elevating Athlete Nutrition - Curbing Cravings (sweet & salty)

We’ve talked a bit about the importance of not going on empty to practices and games, as well as how to recover with food afterward. So, what about the “other foods” that we are craving (sweets, candy, chips..etc). Would these hinder our performance? The answer. Most likely. Especially if you have them before your matches or practice. The type of fuel you put into your body is definitely important. Let’s talk about caving for sugary and salty foods could set your vehicle on the curb.

First offender, sugars and sweets...

Read More →
Elevating Athlete Nutrition - Post Workout Refuel

Stay Fueled Up

Now that we have been practicing having snacks and fuel before practices and games, here comes the next step. Topping off your fuel during long practices/games and then re-fueling. I’ll talk to you a bit about why each is important, and provide you with some tips so, hopefully, we’ll have a full tank all of the time!

During: Make a Pit Stop

During competition, we want to keep your energy up the whole game. Gas tanks need a re-fuel after a long drive, your body works the same way...

Read More →
5 Posts every athlete should check out today

"Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don't see it yourself" - Edmund Lee.  From inspiration to everyday knowledge to eating well to just talking volleyball, take 5 minutes to check out these 5 posts... today.

Read More →
Elevating Athlete Nutrition - Pregame FUEL

Feel like you’re hearing all kinds of nutrition information everywhere? I sure do! It’s on the news, all over Facebook feeds, in magazines, on Instagram…  It can be hard to decipher what is real, and what is not! So, I am here to give you science based professional advice that IS real! Nutrition is a tool for you to use. Food can affect your performance positively, or negatively. Let’s work on putting food in to fuel us the right way. Running to practices or games on empty? Think about what happens to a car when it runs out of gas. The same thing happens to your body when you work out without food. Your body is your vehicle. You need to keep your engine running by providing it with fuel when you have practices and games...

Read More →
Secret Food Series - Chia Seeds (10 of 10)

Does ͞being healthy͟ feel like a daunting task? Like everything ͞good͟ is off limits and a really good diet is pretty boring? I thought like this for a long time too… but I'm happy to say it's not the case ;-) Besides being the green fur for those ͞ch-ch-ch-chia͟ pets, chia seeds have numerous health benefits. Chia seeds are a quick and easy-to-use source of protein that provides healthy fats, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. So much goodness all rolled into one little package. They are an easy, filling way to boost your nutrition to that extra mile...

Read More →
Why I'm Grateful for the Coach that Yelled at Me

During my time playing, I never stopped smiling. There were times when I wasn’t smiling as much, due to the fact that I wasn’t playing as good as I could have or I was being yelled at. I have had two coaches that have yelled at me. One coach I will always thank for yelling at me, I didn’t realize this when he was actually scolding me, but now I couldn’t be happier. The other coach was just mean. Her yelling never made sense and she tried to degrade you every single time she spoke to you...

Read More →
Secret Food Series - Avocado (9 of 10)

Does “being healthy” feel like a daunting task? Like everything “good” is off limits and a really good diet is pretty boring? I thought like this for a long time too… but I'm happy to say it's not the case ;-) Is an avocado a fruit, or a vegetable? Great question! You may be inclined to call it a vegetable, thanks to its green color and savory taste, but an avocado is actually a fruit. More specifically, it is a single seeded berry. Avocados are a super nutrient-dense food choice, meaning they provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients with relatively few calories...

Read More →
What I've Learned About College Recruiting

The journey I have had to take to get to this point has not been an easy one but it has definitely been worth it. Something that I would love to share with the up-and-coming volleyball players is probably one of the most stressful parts about being a student-athlete, the recruitment process. The recruitment process can either be short-lived or long-lived depending on what you're looking for...

Read More →
Following Opportunities Outside Your Comfort Zone

When I was asked what advice I would want to share with the next generation of volleyball players, the first thoughts that popped into my head were the typical ones: don’t lose the love of the game, remember that there is life after volleyball, all that good stuff. But when I sat down to write this and really did some thinking, I settled on something else.

Don’t be afraid to follow the opportunities that this wonderful game brings you...

Read More →
Secret Food Series - Bananas (8 of 10)

I can imagine you have enjoyed, or tried, a banana once in your life. They are the most popular fruit in the world! According to horticulturist, bananas were actually the first fruit on the earth. Bananas are one of the best natural foods for athletic performance. I hope you are enjoying the secret foods! Eat power food, be powerful. Side note! I am officially a Board Certified Sports Dietitian! I passed an extra tough exam this past Monday, and can happily say I am an expert in sports nutrition. Very excited to be able to utilize this certification with you all! If you need any questions answered, shoot me an email at elevatemynutrition@gmail.com

Read More →
The Importance of Setting Goals... and Failing

From a very young age I became a goal setter, and extremely competitive in the process.  I have two older siblings, so if my sister swam a particular race, I wanted to swim it faster. If my brother could eat 17 canned plums, I set a goal to eat 18 (and then get sick, with my grandma vowing to never feed us plums again). When my friends started taking the ACT, I wanted to have the highest score.

In my volleyball journey, the first goal I can remember started in my 8th grade year...

Read More →
Secret Food Series - Sweet Potato (7 of 10)

Does “being healthy” feel like a daunting task? Like everything “good” is off limits and a really good diet is pretty boring? I thought like this for a long time too…but I'm happy to say it's not the case ;-) Not only are sweet potatoes delicious, they are extra nutritious. Sweet potatoes are an excellent carbohydrate source pre, or post exercise. They are also a super source of vitamin A, provide good amounts of vitamin C and can help fight inflammation...

Read More →
How Junior College Volleyball Can Prep You For Your Dream School

When I was younger, I had dreamed of playing volleyball at a division one university. But not just any division one school, I wanted to be playing at one of the top conferences in the nation like the Pac-12, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, etc. While I had this dream in my mindset, my life took a turn of events that I was not expecting at all.  Two years, one regional championship, and a 3rd place at nationals later and I soon found myself getting recruited and offered a full ride scholarship to a division one university...

Read More →