Lower Inflammation with Sweet Potatoes
Shared by Dr. John Wertish
Fries can be a delicious side to any meal. A perfect balance would be to have 75% of your plate be fruits and vegetables, with a side of lean grass-fed meat/venison or wild caught fish. Sweet potatoes are loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, potassium and fiber. It has great anti-inflammatory and antioxidants to reduce neck pain, back pain, and soft tissue recovery. The addition of fiber will help your gut flora and microbiome health. Once of my favorite fats to cook vegetables in in grass-fed butter or avocado oil. This will help slow digestion down and add healthier fat to your diet. They also have a higher smoking point to give the fries extra flavor. Try to avoid corn, soy, and canola oil as these have a negative health impact and can cause more inflammation in the body leading to pain. This recipe is easy, fast, and you do not need many ingredients which makes this a go to in our house.
Here is a quote from a research article on onions:
“Based on this classification and depending on the serving size, sweet potato, especially orange-fleshed, is a rich source of β-carotene (pro-vitamin A) and good source of minerals (magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, calcium, potassium), vitamins (B1, B6, C, E),.. ”
“The sweet potato is reported to be superior sources of polyphenols, terpenoids, saponins, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, and other functional bioactive components.”
Give this recipe a try and let us keep our body’s health and stay pain free!
Ingredients:
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil or melted ghee
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut sweet potato into even sized fries. The thinner, the better.
- Add to a large bowl and drizzle with avocado oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste.
- Mix fries well so that they are evenly coated in oil.
- Add fries to lined baking tray. Evenly space fries so that they are all in a single layer, with plenty of space around them.
- Roast fries for 25-30 minutes, moving around halfway through.
- Remove fries from oven and serve.
References:
1) Alam et al., 2016, 2020c; Luo et al., 2021; Sun, Mu, et al., 2018; Wang et al., 2016
2) Mohammad Khairul Alam, A comprehensive review of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam): Revisiting the associated health benefits, Trends in Food Science & Technology, Volume 115, 2021, Pages 512-529, ISSN 0924-2244
Our Message
We love to help our patients in Dallas stay healthy. We are here to relieve back pain, neck pain and headaches while also teaching about how our diet and stress effects our over all health. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as the chiropractic adjustment and getting the proper nutrients to stay healthy. Our Doctors, near the corner of Mockingbird Ln. and Abrams Rd., want to help you stay healthy and out of pain!