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A number of years in the past, my pores and skin began to show a beautiful (not a lot) shade of orange. My palms and knuckles have been significantly stained a shade of tangerine. It acquired to a degree the place my very own mom begged me to, “Cease utilizing self tanner!” as a result of it was not an excellent look. The factor was, I wasn’t tanning, I used to be simply consuming plenty of candy potatoes.
Rather a lot.
After a fast clarification from my physician, my worries that I used to be going to show right into a visitors cone have been alleviated. As a runner, candy potatoes are my bread and butter. Not solely are they a low-glycemic carb supply with pure sugars for vitality, however additionally they include the antioxidant beta-carotene, which can assist the physique struggle irritation. And after an hour or two of pounding the pavement 5 days per week, I’ve plenty of irritation.
It’s additionally this beta-carotene that induced my pores and skin to show orange. The antioxidant offers candy potatoes their trademark hue, and if you happen to eat sufficient, it is going to additionally flip your physique an identical shade. Whereas it’s by no means good to overdo it on any meals, vitamin professor at Boston College (BU), Joan Salge Blake, tells me this facet impact isn’t dangerous—simply unpleasant.
“Orange flesh candy potatoes are filled with beta-carotene, a phytochemical that will get transformed to Vitamin A as your physique wants it,” Blake says. “Beta-carotene is unhazardous, so you’ll be able to eat copious quantities and nothing will occur. It’s additionally saved proper beneath your pores and skin within the inside fats, so that you’re going to see it come via extra in your palms and the soles of your ft.”
Blake says this response isn’t tremendous widespread, besides for many who take it too far (me) and have two huge candy potatoes a day (me) for years (me).
I’m not keen to stroll round wanting like I rolled round in Cheetos mud, however I’m additionally not about to surrender a sort of meals that fuels my runs. Fortunately, there are many different candy potatoes—as much as 400-plus sorts—that don’t include the orange phytochemical. And although there’s no want for anybody to worry this orange tint, my expertise introduced up an fascinating query. With so many candy potato varieties, is there one particularly that can give endurance athletes probably the most advantages?
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How Many Candy Potato Varieties Are There?
To study in regards to the a whole bunch of sorts (and what that actually means), I requested Mississippi State College Extension Candy Potato Skilled Lorin Harvey to elucidate additional.
There are 400-plus candy potato varieties—outlined as a bunch of vegetation inside a species that has a number of distinguishing traits—there are greater than 7,000 cultivars. Cultivars (Acadian, Carolina Brunch, Darby, Kandee, simply to call a number of) are particularly cultivated styles of candy potatoes, bred or developed for style, dimension, yield, or illness resistance.
“For instance, you’ve the purple flesh candy potato selection, which encompasses plenty of completely different species. Should you like a plant’s traits, you’ll be able to choose and preserve it in order that it turns into a cultivar. It’s a part of a spread, however it’s its personal particular person plant.”
What Form of Candy Potatoes Are Greatest for Runners?
Although we’ve simply rattled off plenty of massive numbers, Harvey, says the vast majority of candy potatoes fall into 5 primary sorts. Orange flesh candy potatoes, purple flesh candy potatoes, pink pores and skin candy potatoes, and white candy potatoes. Under are a number of of the most well-liked varieties, however the record doesn’t come near accounting for all of them.
Frequent orange flesh candy potatoes: Covington, Bayou Belle, Jewel, Porto Rico, Garnet, Bellevue, Burgundy, Beauregard.
Frequent white flesh candy potatoes: Hannah, O’Hentry, Sumor, Muasaki, Satsuma-io (in any other case referred to as the Japanese candy potato).
Frequent purple flesh candy potatoes: Okinawa, Stokes Purple, Charleston Purple, Margarita, Candy Caroline, Medusa.
Although most varieties are related or similar in macros—fiber, sugar, carbs, nutritional vitamins—consultants counsel that the darker the flesh, the upper the carbohydrate (the discrepancy is, nevertheless, minimal). The colour of the flesh additionally determines its distinctive antioxidant and phytonutrient content material.
“There isn’t one ‘king’ cultivar that is healthier, because the dietary profile of candy potatoes fall into a reasonably constant vary,” Harvey explains. “You do have two elements that I suppose might be used to guage them, which is anthocyanin and beta-carotene content material.”
Whereas purple flesh candy potatoes include anthocyanin, orange flesh candy potatoes boast, as we stated earlier than, beta-carotene. The antioxidants have related anti-inflammatory advantages, so as a substitute of evaluating which one is healthier for you, it is perhaps extra prudent to check candy potatoes to different meals.
One cup of orange candy potato comprises double the quantity of beta-carotene that the common grownup wants every day. Nevertheless, you may get the identical quantity of the antioxidant in 100 grams of carrots, which is about 4 or 5 child carrots. So if sooner or later you’ve carrots at lunch, you may go for a purple candy potato at dinner since you’ve already consumed a wholesome dose of beta-carotene.
Anthocyanin can also be present in darkish berries, pink grapes, black plums, pink cabbage, purple cauliflower, black beans, and, after all, purple candy potatoes, which boast of 519 mg per 100g. To get the identical quantity of anthocyanin in, for instance, blueberries, as you get in a purple candy potato, you’d have to eat nearly two pints.
Wild blueberries, nevertheless, are a lot greater in anthocyanin, starting from 487mg per 100g of fruit, as a result of their harsh rising environments drive the fruit to develop greater ranges of antioxidants.
All styles of candy potatoes are nutritious, however some could profit particular folks greater than others relying on their weight loss program and dietary wants. Anthocyanins in purple flesh candy potatoes, for instance, have been discovered to guard in opposition to Sort 2 Diabetes and coronary heart illness. This antioxidant is nice for runners, as it could actually fight oxidative stress and enhance blood circulation, which leads to more healthy, long-lasting muscle groups.
However, Beta-carotene in orange flesh candy potatoes has been confirmed to gradual the development of Age-Associated Maculopathy in eyes. It could additionally cut back oxidative stress the identical means Anthocyanins does, however Beta-carotene converts into vitamin A, which assists in constructing a powerful immune system. So if you happen to’re a runner who has an unfortunate knack for getting sick dangerously near race day, orange candy potatoes is perhaps for you. What issues most is the advantages you care about extra ought to influence your candy potato alternative, plus (clearly) style and texture desire.
And the candy potato professional’s spud of alternative? Harvey prefers a basic orange flesh Beauregard selection, which is widespread within the South. His choice is much less about which one is “greatest,” and extra in regards to the potato’s tasty creamy texture.
“Whereas some folks like brown sugar and sweetness with their candy potatoes,” Harvey says. “I wish to go the savory route by cooking them within the air fryer and including salt and cumin.”
He echoes what the remainder of the consultants in my candy potato exploration have: you’ll be able to’t go fallacious with any candy potato. So choose which one you want greatest, and luxuriate in.”
Or higher but, incorporate a wide range of candy potatoes so that you get a rainbow of advantages.
