I don’t want you to tell me that because you are following a low carb diet, you are not having sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes do have carbohydrates in them, but they don’t have to be excluded from your diet – let me explain why.
I want to touch on the glycemic index. The glycemic index (GI) is a system of ranking carbohydrates based on how much they raise blood-glucose levels. It was originally developed for diabetics, but its usefulness has grown with our understanding of the impact blood-sugar levels have on hunger. If you eat a carbohydrate, it triggers a boost in insulin production. Insulin reduces your blood sugar, which leaves you feeling irritable and lethargic…and therefore wanting to snack on more food, particularly carbs.
Insulin is also a fat-storing hormone. The more insulin that is released, the more more fat that is stored overtime. In general, this means we want to minimize the amount of insulin that is used.
How can we do this? Aim to choose foods that are lower on the glycemic index scale.
Sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index value, at 44. This is a lot lower compared to white potatoes, that have a glycemic index value of 62-93. Foods with a lower glycemic index (under 55) will raise blood sugar just slightly – and not lead to that ‘crash’ that is often felt after a high carb meal. It will also not trigger a large production of insulin, which will lead to less fat storage.
Now, although sweet potatoes do have some carbohydrates in them (although slower digesting carbs), these carbs are best consumed in the first two-thirds of the day. Why? Because carbs = energy. You will likely need and be using more energy at the beginning of the day (depending on your schedule) then you will be after dinner. This is why I tell most of my weight loss clients to incorporate a lower glycemic-index carb at breakfast and lunch, but really minimize the carbs at dinner.
What does this mean? Sweet potatoes for breakfast! Typically when we think of sweet potatoes, we may envision a baked sweet potato with dinner. However, sweet potatoes are so versatile! There are many ways to incorporate them into any meal, including breakfast. With this recipe, I used graded sweet potato, which was incorporated into a slider and then fried.
For this post I partnered with the American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute to bring you this fantastic recipe. Check out my delicious sweet potatoes and kale sliders below!
Breakfast Sweet Potato and Kale Sliders
An energizing and satisfying way to start your day.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 eggs
- 1 small medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 cups grated US sweet potato
- 2 cups chopped kale
- extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Directions
- Whisk breadcrumbs, chia seeds and baking soda in small bowl. Whisk 3 eggs then combine into mixture.
- Meanwhile, heat the EVOO in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, until slightly browned, for 5 minutes.
- Combine sauteed garlic and onion to the above batter. Mix in the grated sweet potato and chopped kale. Mix until well combined.
- Form the mixture into 2-inch sliders. Toss on heated saucepan. After about 3 minutes, flip the slider, until slightly browned on each side. Repeat for the rest of the sliders.
- Enjoy your sliders with guacamole in the morning – what a great start to your day!
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