I have been eating sweet potatoes in the morning, sliced and boiled for a few minutes, with my breakfast for my carbohydrate source, and I started doing some research on them, and found out that they are extremely beneficial to smokers, as I know many dancers smoke (I did for four years!) or even for anyone exposed to second hand smoke. One serving of a baked sweet potato provides 262% DV of Vitamin A, which is amazing for your skin and also essential if you eat a high protein diet, but it also has a direct link to preventing lung cancer and emphysema...
"If you or someone you love is a smoker, or if you are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke, then making vitamin A-rich foods, such as sweet potatoes, part of your healthy way of eating, may save your life, suggests research conducted at Kansas State University.
While studying the relationship between vitamin A, lung inflammation, and emphysema, Richard Baybutt, associate professor of nutrition at Kansas State, made a surprising discovery: a common carcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, induces vitamin A deficiency.
Baybutt's earlier research had shown that laboratory animals fed a vitamin A-deficient diet developed emphysema. His latest animal studies indicate that not only does the benzo(a)pyrene in cigarette smoke cause vitamin A deficiency, but that a diet rich in vitamin A can help counter this effect, thus greatly reducing emphysema.
Baybutt believes vitamin A's protective effects may help explain why some smokers do not develop emphysema. "There are a lot of people who live to be 90 years old and are smokers," he said. "Why? Probably because of their diet…The implications are that those who start smoking at an early age are more likely to become vitamin A deficient and develop complications associated with cancer and emphysema. And if they have a poor diet, forget it." If you or someone you love smokes, or if your work necessitates exposure to second hand smoke, protect yourself by making sure at least one of the World's Healthiest Foods that are rich in vitamin A, such as sweet potatoes, is a daily part of your healthy way of eating."
Not only that, but they are rich in Vitamin B6 which also helps smokers...
"In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6, which is needed to convert homocysteine, an interim product created during an important chemical process in cells called methylation, into other benign molecules. Since high homocysteine levels are associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, having a little extra vitamin B6 on hand is a good idea."
I had never really thought about eating sweet potatoes regularly, but they're actually really good and keep me full throughout the day!
Here's the full article: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...itionalprofile




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