So, ever since I started doing 11 Day Jumpstarts , an 11-day protocol that trains the body to flush inflammation, leaving you feeling energized and amazing while weight falls off, I’ve been turned on to sweet potatoes. Pretty sure they are my new favorite food.
And then I discovered why my body craves them so much this week. Wanna know? Keep reading.
Sweet Potatoes are amazing for so many reasons
1. Lower glycemic response than a regular potato which means that when you eat a sweet potato your blood sugar won't spike like it would for a white or red potato. Maintaining steady blood glucose levels is key for the kind of sustainable energy I need to power through my busy day and keep my inflammation levels healthy.
2. They help make progesterone. This is super beneficial for women like me who like to be happy, PMS free, and reduce risk for breast cancer.
3. Sweet potatoes feed a bacteria in your lower gut that balances your blood sugar. Again with the blood sugar…..must be a theme here?
4. Offers you 15% of your daily B6 vitamin needs. Research shows that B6 can raise progesterone and reduce estrogen to offset the effects of estrogen dominance and improve symptoms of PMS.
2. They help make progesterone. This is super beneficial for women like me who like to be happy, PMS free, and reduce risk for breast cancer.
3. Sweet potatoes feed a bacteria in your lower gut that balances your blood sugar. Again with the blood sugar…..must be a theme here?
4. Offers you 15% of your daily B6 vitamin needs. Research shows that B6 can raise progesterone and reduce estrogen to offset the effects of estrogen dominance and improve symptoms of PMS.
5. Contains Vitamin C, which is necessary for healthy skin, fighting infections, and wound healing. It also helps our body absorb iron, which is important if you’re anemic…or menstruating.
6. Rich in Fiber. Fiber is part of our food that we can’t digest and can help with constipation. It also helps with satiation, so could be used in a weight management protocol. Fiber can also reduce risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering LDL, the bad cholesterol. Eating fiber helps slow the absorption of carbs into the blood stream, helping to keep glucose levels more stable (yes, again, with the blood sugar. It's THAT important). And it is very cleansing to the gut. Some fibers bind to toxins to escort them out the body, others scrub the gut clean. Super important element for overall health.
7. Potassium is another mineral that can be found in sweet potatoes. This mineral is important because it works in balance with sodium to maintain blood pressure and keep your heart healthy. Your heart is a muscle, so yes, it is also beneficial for sore or twitchy muscles. (yes that’s medical terminology). Guess what else is a muscle that gets crampy….your uterus.
8. A sweet potato is a great source of magnesium. Magnesium is arguably THE MOST important mineral a woman needs to be supplementing in her diet. It does SO MUCH for our cycles and overall well being. Magnesium is known to calm the brain. Deficiency in magnesium has been linked to depression, mood disturbances, and headaches. It is probably the #1 thing a naturopath-minded doctor will put a woman on for period problems….and constipation.
So those are all reason enough for having sweet potatoes every day. But you wanted to know why I’ve been craving them…
Well because they’re delicious yes, they are the perfect amount of sweet to salty ratio that leaves my taste buds happy dancing through my meal. When I eat them, I don’t even go looking for dessert because my brain and my body are satisfied thinking they already got dessert. (which helps my blood sugar). But this week, I am in my luteal phase when my estrogen and progesterone are on the rise. My body is looking for foods to support that process, and sweet potatoes do just that.
Whenever you crave a food like chocolate or sweet potatoes, pay attention to where you are in your cycle (btw…I've got a course for that.).
In all fairness, it takes a LOT of sweet potatoes to boost hormones to optimal levels, so when I’m able to recognize these symptoms I know to support my body with my favorite concentrated supplements. In this case it’s wild yam derived bio-identical progesterone serum, and the cravings are controlled (not to mention sleep and libido are improved).
When we crave chocolate, we need magnesium.
Salts: electrolytes and minerals.
And now we’re happy, healthy, and living savvy.
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