Sweet Potato for Scoliosis.
Is it a thing? It should be. After following the autoimmune paleo protocol to address thyroid autoimmunity, I discovered I need to put forth an effort to consume a lot of starchy vegetables and clean fats. The body requires more calories when it’s going through the process of healing. Sweet potatoes were suggested by many of the instructors in my functional nutrition course when I asked for advice on how to gain weight in a healthy way.
As I was reading through a book called The Healthy Bones Nutrition Plan and Cookbook: How to Prepare and Combine Whole Foods to Prevent and Treat Osteoporosis Naturally, I stumbled across some intriguing information about sweet potato and its powerhouse nutrient, Vitamin A. Sweet potatoes have a good amount of this essential nutrient. The book cites a large number of Americans are deficient in Vitamin A. With it being a fat-soluble nutrient, I make a point to have something tasty and fatty paired with my potato in an effort to keep myself out of that unfortunate statistic.
“Vitamin A is a family of fat-soluble compounds that play an important role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division, and cell differentiation. Vitamin A is important for healthy bones.”
source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
My research revealed that Vitamin A is important in the production of Gla, a protein that keeps calcium from depositing in the soft tissue and arteries. Vitamin A is known to promote new bone formation. Since bones are a way for the body to store nutrients and minerals, it may be worth talking to your doctor about introducing this bone-friendly eating habit if you are currently treating scoliosis or degenerative bone conditions like osteoporosis.
Tips on Preparing Sweet Potato
I like to try different varieties of sweet potato and am particularly drawn to the Japanese sweet potato (pictured above). It is sweet and satisfyingly dense. I also enjoy the purple sweet potato (pictured below) for its nuttier taste; it’s not as rich in Vitamin A, but it is still quite a treat!
I have developed a love for sweet potatoes. My go-to is enjoying them for breakfast with walnut or cashew butter. I’ve recently been dabbling in making the nut butter myself.
I like to make one large sweet potato on Sundays and eat it with my breakfast a few times throughout the week. I find that I feel the most comfortable sprinkling in nutritious foods for their functional use sporadically throughout the week and fight the urge to have the same thing every day, day after day.
As with all things, there is a right amount of Vitamin A to consume. The NIH article above details the danger of consuming too much Vitamin A. This affirms my belief in getting our nutrients from whole foods. As my dad – a retired anesthesiologist – always told me, the body is good at absorbing what it needs and discarding the rest. So I feel comfortable listening to my body and recognizing how I feel after I eat. I trust my body to tell me when it has had enough.
Want to learn more about the different varieties of sweet potato? Check out this article on Paleo Flourish.
Have you found yourself gravitating to certain foods? What is your favorite way to fuel your body to build healthy bones?
