As someone who bakes sweet potatoes weekly and whose father calls her "Sweet Potato" because of how often I make them, I think it's important to know if sweet potato skins are edible. Not only for the sake of writing an informative Spoon article, but also because I've been eating them for years and never had a confirmation on the matter.
Luckily, I've done my research and am here to answer the question of: "Can you eat sweet potato skins?" Well, my friends, yes, you can. And you should. Here's why.
1. Fiber
Slathered with peanut butter here, because that's how I like them, sweet potatoes, as we know already, are supremely healthy and are even ranked as the top nutritional vegetable by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Contained within their skin, is an array of additional nutrients aside from the fleshy orange or yellow part, as seen above, we typically eat. So in response to the question of "Can you eat sweet potato skins?", one benefit of eating the skin of sweet potatoes is that they are very high in fiber.
One serving of a baked sweet potato has more fiber than a serving of oatmeal, with one medium sweet potato providing five grams of fiber. And as Livestrong dictates, women younger than 51 should have 25 grams of fiber per day while men younger than 51 should have at least 38.
Fiber is beneficial to your body because it helps normalize your bowel movements, lower your cholesterol levels, and regulate your blood sugar.
2. Beta Carotene
As I led with in my previous baked sweet potato recipe, sweet potatoes are packed with Vitamin A, as is their skin. And beta carotene is the antioxidant that is converted into the vast amounts of Vitamin A once inside your body.
To get all numerical in you, the recommended serving of Vitamin A per day is 26081.9 international units. But get this, a medium-sized baked sweet potato contains four times this amount.
Vitamin A is so excellent for you because it helps improve your eyesight and prevent or treat other eye conditions. Additionally, Vitamin A strengthens your immune system (bye-bye colds) and may help treat or prevent cancer.
3. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Folate
Sweet potato skins contain nearly half the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C you need, while one sweet potato serving provides you with 100 percent of how much Vitamin E, without saturated fat, is suggested per day.
Vitamin C and Vitamin E are essential nutrients to boost your immunity to diseases. Sweet potatoes also have 18.2 micrograms of folate, or Vitamin B9, per serving, which promotes cardiovascular health and may reduce the risk of stroke.
4. Potassium and Iron
The skins of sweet potatoes are rich in potassium and iron, which I definitely make a conscious effort to consume more of in my diet. While 4,700 milligrams is the daily recommended amount of potassium intake, sweet potatoes contain a large portion of that total by offering 542 milligrams of potassium per serving.
Potassium is definitely a vital mineral you want to consume a large amount of to lower blood pressure, enhance your nervous system, and decrease anxiety levels. And especially for vegetarians and vegans, the amount of iron in sweet potatoes definitely helps to offset the absence of meat in your weekly meal plan. Iron is so beneficial for you because it helps to cure insomnia, regulate body temperature, increase brain development, and treat anemia.
One major caveat to eating sweet potato skins is that you MUST wash them diligently and clear them of all remains of dirt before you cook them. Then, you can enjoy the healthy and delicious benefits of sweet potatoes, as well as their skin.
So, can you eat sweet potato skins? Absolutely. I certainly do, and now that I know how good they are for me and my body, I will continue consuming them with even more glee than before. Enjoy.