I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana recently. Africa is amazing–from the wild animals, to the polite and polished people, to breathtaking landscapes, sunsets, and delicious, healthy food. One thing I noticed was that there were few obese or overweight people where I was. The large markets in town were overflowing with fresh brightly colored carrots, tomatoes, squashes, and tons of greens of all different types and there were no signs of unhealthy ‘fast food’ restaurants.

One of the specialties of Africa is a peanut stew. This peanut stew is the perfect, healthy, comforting, warm, satisfying meal that you can make in one pot. It includes plenty of super-food ingredients such as ginger, onions, jalapeno, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and collard greens. It is packed with antioxidants and nutrition!

Peanuts can be an especially great source of healthy fats, protein and fiber. Most of the fats in peanuts are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are a healthful type of fat.

Peanuts also contain a healthy supply of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, niacin, folate, and thiamin.

Peanuts contain lots of healthy fiber which helps improve cholesterol levels, lower the risk of heart disease, maintain a healthy gut, and helps to fill you up and feel satisfied.

Peanuts do have a beneficial relationship with your gut bacteria, and gut health in general. Did you know that adding probiotics helps them survive passage through the gut?

Peanuts also promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria, and reduce the ability of harmful bacteria to invade host cells.

Peanuts are nutrient rich but low in carbohydrates, making them a great option for anyone trying to keep blood sugar low, including diabetics and anyone trying to lose weight.

Raw peanuts with the skin on are the healthiest form to eat—avoid those kinds that come in a can, roasted with (unhealthy) soybean oil and covered in salt. Peanut skin contains antioxidants, as well as additional fiber.

Research has found that women who eat nuts, including peanuts, at least twice a week had a lower risk of weight gain over 8 years than those who rarely ate nuts.

And this large-scale study found that nuts and peanuts may reduce a person’s risk of obesity over 5 years.

Peanuts are an excellent food for people with diabetes or a risk of diabetes. Peanuts have a low glycemic index (GI), meaning they do not cause big spikes in blood sugar levels.

Risks and considerations for peanuts

Peanuts do contain proteins called arachin and conarachin. Some people can have severe allergic reactions to these proteins. For other people, peanuts can cause a milder allergic reaction, but peanuts are also guilty of exacerbating asthma in many people. If you are in either group, it’s best to avoid peanuts.

Peanuts grow in the ground and are exposed to more fungus from the soil. One of the fungi produces a mycotoxin called “aflatoxin”. During storage, aflatoxins can continue to grow and multiply. In large amounts, aflatoxins can increase the risk for live cancer, especially for people with existing liver disease such as hepatitis. To reduce the risk of aflatoxins, eat Valencia peanuts which are grown in drier climates and more resistant to fungus. Eating green plant foods also protects against aflatoxins, as does eating protein. Roasted peanuts and peanut butter also reduce most of the aflatoxins in peanuts.

Peanuts also contain a substance called “agglutinin” which is a type of lectin found in some legumes. Peanut agglutinin has nothing to do with gluten which is found in wheat, rye and barley. However, peanut agglutinin can aggravate existing cancer, but does not contribute to the development of cancers.

Overall, peanuts are good for your health and actually lower the risks of many cancers, diabetes, and heart disease, so enjoy this African peanut stew and its health benefits.

One-Pot African Peanut Stew

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tablespoons of grass fed butter
• 1 medium sized red onion, finely chopped
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes—be careful, red pepper gets hotter when cooked
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• ½ sweet red pepper, chopped
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 large (1-lb) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened organic peanut butter
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 bunch collard greens, stems removed and chopped
• Fresh cilantro, chopped, roasted peanuts and lime juice for serving

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and red pepper, sprinkle with salt and cook for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin and red pepper flakes then stir together and cook for about 2 minutes.

Next add the tomato paste and stir together. Add the sweet potato, peanut butter, broth and water. Stir together then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the chopped collard greens to the pot, stir, then cover and continue to cook for another 15 minutes, until sweet potato is tender.

Using the back of the spoon or hand potato masher, mash some of the sweet potato to help thicken the broth. Boil uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve warm and garnish with cilantro, peanuts, and lime juice. Enjoy!

Makes 4-6 servings.

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References
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-bad-are-peanuts-really/

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Have you ever noticed that in the fall there are a lot of vegetables that are orange, red or yellow colored? Pumpkins, squashes, carrots, beets and sweet potatoes are all heavy on healthy antioxidant. These foods also contain alpha carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin, which protect your cells and keep them healthy.

The powerful antioxidant, beta carotene not only turns into vitamin A in the body, but also protects against heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Pumpkin contains both vitamin C and vitamin A that help to strengthen the immune system—which is perfect timing for protection against colds and flu. Pumpkin’s powerful antioxidants also help to fight cancer.

That vitamin A from pumpkin also helps to strengthen the eyesight and protect against diseases like macular degeneration. Beta-carotene also helps prevent diabetes, along with the healthy fiber that pumpkin contains, which is low glycemic, keeping blood sugar low.

The fiber and rich taste of pumpkin are also very filling without being fattening. The low-glycemic attributes of pumpkin help to keep the body in fat-burning mode—not fat-storing mode. And pumpkin’s natural fiber helps to feed those healthy bacteria in the gut, while increasing your brain’s level of serotonin, the ‘feel good’ brain chemical.

Beta carotene also protects the skin against sun damage making it a healthy way to ‘eat your sunscreen’, and it also promotes younger, smoother, healthy-looking skin.

Pumpkins also contain plenty of potassium which balances out sodium and helps to decrease blood pressure. Increased potassium also reduces your risk of strokes, protects against heart disease, and helps the body to preserve bone density.

Pumpkin is the perfect vegetable to add to soup. It adds a satisfying richness and creaminess along with its healthy additives. This creamy version also contains cauliflower puree to add to the thickness and creaminess without adding dairy, making it a perfect low carb soup. The added sausage makes it high in protein, along with the kale to round out its amazingly healthy ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 lb turkey, chicken or pork Italian sausage, remove casings
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 15 oz can pure organic pumpkin puree
• 2 cups baby or dinosaur (lacinto) kale chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups chicken bone broth
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon butter (grass-fed)
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• Feta cheese for garnish

Instructions

In a soup pot, add olive oil and brown the sausage, breaking up into smaller pieces. Add garlic, onion, peppers, salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes.

Add the pumpkin, broth, and kale and continue to cook for a 5 or so minutes.

While pumpkin mixture is cooking, chop the cauliflower into fine pieces in a food processor, and cook 10 minutes with some butter and about a ¼ cup of water until soft. Let cool for a few minutes and add back to food processer and blend until smooth. Add cauliflower mixture to the soup and mix well.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with feta cheese if desired. Makes about 6-8 servings. Enjoy any time of the year!

Get your FREE copy of the Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook.

Looking for easy, tasty recipes that help you burn fat, then look no further…

This free recipe book is packed with over 80 fat-burning Keto recipes, such has mouth-watering chicken, beef, pork meals and more…

Best yet, every single recipe uses a slow cooker. Spend less than 20 minutes in your kitchen whipping up these delicious meals.

The post Delicious Pumpkin, Sausage & Kale Soup (packed full of inflammation-fighting nutrients) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Some people call them “yams” and others call them “sweet potatoes”. Is there a difference? And how do they compare with regular white potatoes?

Well for starters, sweet potatoes are the orange or reddish colored root vegetable you see at the grocery store. They are a member of the morning glory family, and not related to either yams or white potatoes. Sweet potatoes generally come from either Central or South America.

Sweet potatoes are usually longer and tapered at the ends with smooth colored skin, and can range in color from tan, to yellow, to orange, red, or purple. Sweet potato’s flesh inside also varies from white to orange or reddish orange, to purple-colored. Sweet potatoes are also usually softer and sweeter when cooked than either yams or regular white potatoes.

Yams are also a tuber vegetable. However, they come from a completely different family and are actually part of the lily family. Yams originated in Africa and Asia and there are about 600 different varieties of yams.

Yams have some distinct characteristics, and if you ever saw them, you would probably not confuse them with sweet potatoes. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams can grow very large. Size can vary from that of a small potato to up to 5 feet (1.5 meters). Yes, THAT big!!

Yams are more cylindrical, and have rough brown, almost tree-bark like skin that is very difficult to peel. The inside flesh is white, yellow, purple or pinkish. Yams are not sweet and smooth like sweet potatoes, they are more dry and starchy tasting.

Yams are not a common item to find in your grocery store, in fact, they are often difficult to find, except perhaps in an international market or ethnic food store.

White potatoes are something we are all pretty familiar with. White potatoes come from the Solanaceae family, which is related to tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant and considered part of the “nightshade” group of vegetables.

While there are literally thousands of different types of potatoes in the world, in general the types of potatoes we see here in the U.S. and in Europe are classified as russet potatoes, red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes (or Yukon Gold) and purple potatoes.

Sweet potatoes, yams, and regular white potatoes are actually all from different plant families and not related.

Sweet potatoes have become much more common and popular in the past ten or so years, and are often served baked, mashed, roasted. They are also a great alternative to French fries, and an alternative to regular mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes are often pureed and used in recipes like soups and desserts.

And of course, sweet potatoes are a staple on the Thanksgiving table, sometimes served as sweet potato casserole with marshmallows (please don’t!) or made into a sweet potato pie.

If you are looking for a way to use those sweet potatoes in your kitchen, this is a must try recipe. You reap the benefits of all the nutrients from the sweet potato and turmeric as well. Curry Sweet Potato Soup (packed with antioxidants and fights inflammation)

African yams are usually boiled and mashed into a starchy paste called “Fufu”. Yams are not usually eaten baked; however, if they are baked they must be peeled before cooking. If you tried to cook them whole, they tend to explode, leaving a big mess!

How did yams and sweet potatoes get confused here in America? When African slaves came to the United States, they called our sweet potato “nyami”, or “yam” in English, because it resembled the yam from Africa.

The darker-skinned orange sweet potato variety was only recently introduced in the U.S., and in order to differentiate them from the original sweet potatoes, they were called “yams”. In my grocery store, I see the dark, reddish skinned sweet potatoes are called “garnet yams”, but they are not really real yams either. They are sweet potatoes.

In the United States, yams and sweet potatoes are often used interchangeably. Most all yams in a grocery store are actually sweet potatoes.

Sweet potato nutrition

Sweet potatoes contain a lot of nutrients (which is why they are so popular) including a massive amount of beta-carotene, the nutrient that our bodies turn into vitamin A. Eat sweet potatoes with butter to help this transformation work best. Sweet potatoes also contain about 35-40% of your necessary vitamin C for the day, manganese, vitamin B6, potassium, copper, niacin, thiamine and magnesium.

Sweet potatoes also help to stabilize blood sugar, and help the body become more sensitive to insulin. In fact, one study from Austria showed that a diabetic group who ate sweet potatoes actually had lower blood sugar levels at the end of the study than the control group. This is due partly because of the high fiber content, which slows the absorption of sugar into the body, and probably due to the high amounts of antioxidants, as well.

Antioxidants also help to reduce other chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The orange-y color in sweet potatoes means it is especially high in the antioxidant beta-carotene. A good rule of thumb for eating sweet potatoes is to pick the most colorful ones—these have the most antioxidants in them.

Sweet potatoes are also known to boost brain function, improve memory, and prevent oxidative damage in the brain.

Since sweet potatoes have about 400% of the pre-cursor to vitamin A, they are especially good for boosting the immune system, protecting the vision, and helping the skin.

What about yams?

Yams are higher in calories, carbohydrates and fiber and while they contain also contain a good amount of vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium and manganese but are not as nutrient-dense or full of antioxidants as sweet potatoes are. (Hint—antioxidants have a lot to do with color).

Yams contain more potassium and manganese—both vital minerals that are good for bone and nerve health, heart function and metabolism. Yams do contain some similar nutrients like B vitamins but the health benefits of yams have not been studied near as much as sweet potatoes.

One more thing about yams—a derivative of an ingredient in yams is thought to help women’s hormone levels, especially progesterone. There is some evidence that yam extract may be a helpful remedy for some of the unpleasant symptoms of PMS and menopause.

White potato nutrition

White potatoes do have lots of healthy minerals, fiber and carbohydrates in them, but definitely are not the superstars that sweet potatoes are. White potatoes belong to a totally different plant family, are definitely different looking than either yams or sweet potatoes and have a whole different set of nutrients.

White potatoes contain plenty of vitamin C, folate (a necessary B vitamin), vitamin B6, potassium, manganese, but not the high levels of vitamin A or antioxidants that sweet potatoes have.

Blood sugar and the glycemic index

Sweet potatoes have a medium-to-high GI, around 60, and yams have a lower GI at about 50. White potatoes score the highest at 75.

So, when looking at all three types of potatoes, gram for gram, white potatoes will cause a sharper spike in blood sugar when eaten. So if you are diabetic or trying to keep your blood sugar low, you are better off eating sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are also higher in fiber than regular potatoes.

Which is best?

So—the winner of all three types of potatoes in terms of nutrition is sweet potatoes by a slim margin!

However, yams, sweet potatoes and white potatoes can all be healthy additions to the diet, as long as you are not restricting carbs. Preparation is the important factor; French fried ANYTHING is not going to be healthy, so eat baked instead of fried, and add a little dab of grass fed butter on it!

If you are watching your carbs, you are going to want to read this story below about what US heart surgeons are saying about this “health food”.

US Heart Surgeon Says Carbs are NOT the Problem (This “Health Food” is)…

According to this world-renowned Heart Surgeon below, a good portion of your weight gain, brain fog, and digestive issues may stem from a SINGLE vegetable you eat…

Listen, I realize this sounds far-fetched, but the science is groundbreaking. In fact, we now know of at least one so-called “health food” that could be wreaking havoc on your insides (and your results). What’s worse, it’s probably in your kitchen right now!

And today, my trusted colleague, Dr. Steven Gundry, is pulling back the curtain on exactly what it is:

==> This Vegetable Could be the #1 Danger in Your Diet

References
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sweet-potatoes-vs-yams#section6
https://draxe.com/sweet-potato-nutrition-facts-benefits/

The post Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams vs. White Potatoes appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.