The Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes nutritional value

Sweet potatoes, long a staple in some parts of Kenya, is gaining renewed  interest in Kenya as more families discover its nutritional value. Traditionally in Kenya and in most of the kenyan highlands which produce most of te food consumed in urban areas, particularly in Nairobi, the white sweet potato has been the most common. In fact, Supermarkets in Nairobi traditionally avoid the orange fleshed sweet potatos and prefer to sell the white sweet potatos which are deficient in Vitamin A.

The Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes

We have always tried to educate retailers in big supermarkets of the importance of the orange fleshed sweet potatoes over the years but they have been reluctant and it seems a huge part of Nairobi population who buy sweet potatoes in supermarkets are exposed to the less nutritious variety of white fleshed sweet potato.

Much has been said about the nutritional value of sweet potatoes and it's important that sweet potatoes are not the same. There is a variety of sweet potatoes that has proved to be vitamin A rich and is currently being promoted amongst farmers across Africa and this is the the orange fleshed sweet potatoes that's widely grown in Kabondo. The colour makes all the difference.

The orange fleshed sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene which our bodies turn into Vitamin A. Beta carotene or β-Carotene is a strongly-coloured red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits. Mostly, we commonly associate it with carrots but not many carrots are grown in Africa, particularly in the rural areas. Beta carotene's protect your body cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. Beta carotenes are converted by the body into retinols, which are active forms of Vitamin A.

What are benefits of Vitamin A?

Globally, it is estimated that as many as 140 million children suffer from Vitamin A Deficiency(VAD), amny of them in the poorer parts of the world particularly Africa and South East Asia.  In Africa while sweet potatoes has been grown for years, it is only recently that farmers started growing the beta-carotene rich orange fleshed sweet potato variety. The World health organization estimates that each year, 670,000 children will die from Vitamin A deficiency while some 350,000 children will go blind from Vitamin A deficiency. It's a heart breaking statistic which fortunately, can be avoided as the cultivation of the orange fleshed sweet potatoes does not require much investment or special climatic requirements. All that's important is the access to the sweet potato cuttings for farmers.

There is the need to educate supermarkets in Nairobi and the rest of Africa to begin stocking their shelves with orange fleshed sweet potatoes variety for the urban population. In Nairobi, my offer to supply orange fleshed sweet potatoes has been rejected twice by two major supermarkets, who surprisingly, have a preference for the white fleshed sweet potatoes. To help people understand the importance of the orange fleshed sweet potatoes, we will be doing a blog post every week on the importance of the orange fleshed sweet potato varieties and perhaps help our farmers up the ladder on the sweet potato value chain. Some of the benefits include the following:

Sweet potatoes as antioxidants and for the enhancing of immune system

In recent years and following research by organizations such as the International Potato Centre(CIP), the beta-carotene found in orange fleshed sweet potatoes(and other foods) have been found to to be potential anti-cancer and anti-aging compounds. Beta-carotene has been found to be a powerful antioxidant, protecting your body cells from damage by free radicals. Free radicals are unpaired electrons caused formed when oxygen reacts with certain molecules in the body. When these free radicals react with body cells, they can cause damage to the cells. Antioxidants in the body are primarily involved with prevention of cell damage caused by these free radicals. Cell damage is the primary cause of cancer, aging and a variety of diseases which are normally incurable. In minimizing the damage to the cells caused by the free radicals, the antioxidants in the beta-carotene found in the orange fleshed sweet potatoes contribute towards boosting your immune system and prolonging your life!

Promoting proper cell communication
In addition to their antioxidant and immune-enhancing activity, carotenoids including beta-carotene ound in the orange fleshed sweet potatoes have shown the ability to stimulate cell to cell communication. Researchers now believe that poor communication between cells may be one of the causes of the overgrowth of cells, a condition which eventually leads to cancer. By promoting proper communication between cells, carotenoids may play a role in cancer prevention.

Supporting Reproductive Health

It is also believed that beta-carotene may participate in female reproduction. Although its exact function in female reproduction has not yet been identified, it is known that the corpus luteum has the highest concentration of beta-carotene of any organ in the body, suggesting that this nutrient plays an important role in reproductive processes.

So, plenty of reasons for you to begin consuming the most nutritious variety of sweet potatoes and live a longer and healthy life. If you would like sweet potato deliveries within Nairobi, email us at kabondofarms[at]yahoo.com