benefits of yams

Yams are made up of complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber allowing for slow uptake to keep blood sugar levels even, giving it the nod as a low glycemic index food. The vitamin A that is converted into beta-carotene when eating yams isnandt as spectacular as those in sweet potatoes, butandthe antioxidants they provide are exceptional. The vitamin A in yams has other functions, such asandmaintaining healthy mucous membranes and skin, heightening night vision, supporting healthy bone development, and providing protection from lung and mouth cancers.

The use of wild yam as a treatment for cognitive impairment was recently explored by C. S. Chiu and colleagues at China Medical University in Taiwan and found to be successful. Published in andThe American Journal of Chinese Medicineand in 2009, the study investigated the ability of yam to increase learning and memory capacity in biologically aged subjects. After six weeks of treatment, cognitive abilities were significantly increased by the supplement. The researchers believe the unique antioxidant enzymes of yam are responsible for its neuro-protective effects.

The moderate quantity of potassium in yams may prevent digestive conditions, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Potassiumands role as an electrolyte is essential in stimulating the smooth muscle contractions needed for digestion. The addition of yams to the diet of those with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, may offer a dietary supplement of potassium more easily absorbed in the intestines. Additional anti-inflammatory support found in yams may decrease pain and other symptoms associated with IBD.

Juicing a yam helps you get more of those vitamins and minerals without filling up on too much fiber. A juicer separates the juice from the pulp, giving you all the B6, potassium, and other benefits in a drink. Although you may be able to eat one or two yams in one sitting, you can drink five or six yamsand worth of juice, tripling or even quadrupling the amount of vitamins and minerals, and making it easier for the body to absorb.

Although the concept of yam or potato juice may sound odd, it actually adds a creamy, smooth texture when juiced with other fruits and vegetables, giving the drink a pleasant texture similar to a milkshake. . Use yams where you would normally use protein or potatoes. Yams are available in many grocery stores or natural food stores throughout the United States.

Most of the yams in the United States are actually orange sweet potatoes, which are a completely different food. Yams grow best in tropical climates, such as in South America, the Caribbean, and Africa. . You can get the nutritional benefits of yams by baking them, frying them or roasting them. One serving of yams is approximately equal to one cup chopped or one medium yam.

Dioscorea rotundata, the andwhite yamand, andandDioscorea cayenensis, the andyellow yamand, are native to Africa. They are the most important cultivated yams. In the past they were considered two separate species but most taxonomists now regard them as the same species. There are over 200 cultivated varieties between them. White yamands tuber is roughly cylindrical in shape, the skin is smooth and brown and the flesh usually white and firm. Yellow yam is named after its yellow flesh, a color caused by the presence of carotenoids.

Yams in west Africa are typically harvested by hand using sticks, spades or diggers.[10]andWood-based tools are preferred to metallic tools as they are less likely to damage the fragile tubers; however, wood tools need frequent replacement. Yam harvesting is labor-intensive and physically demanding. For each 2-10 kilogram tuber harvested, it involves standing, bending, squatting, and sometimes sitting on the ground depending the size of mound, size of tuber or depth of tuber penetration. Care must be taken to avoid damage to the tuber, because damaged tubers do not store well and spoil rapidly. Some farmers use staking and mixed cropping, a practice that complicates harvesting in some cases.

The tubers of certain wild yam, a variant ofandkokoroandyam and other species ofandDioscorea, such asandDioscorea nipponica, are a source for the extraction ofanddiosgenin, aandsteroidandsapogenin. The extracted diosgenin is used for the commercial synthesis ofandcortisone,pregnenolone,andprogesterone, and other steroid products.[18]andSuch preparations were used in earlyandcombined oral contraceptive pills.[19]andThe unmodified steroid hasandestrogenicandactivity.

The nutrient content of yam and major staple foods in a raw harvested form. Raw forms, however, arenandt edible and can not be digested. These must be sprouted, or prepared and cooked for human consumption. In sprouted or cooked form, the relative nutritional and anti-nutritional contents of each of these staples is remarkably different from that of raw form of these staples.