6 Ways Sweet Potatoes Can Improve Your Life

Growing Sweet Potatoes Can Make You Healthy Wealthy and Wise!

Yams, also known as sweet potatoes are one of my favourite vegetables. One of the easiest ways to prepare yams is to simply wash them well and bake them in foil.

Baked Sweet Potato in Foil

However, in my area, yams tend to be quite a bit pricier than regular potatoes, so it is a treat I rarely get.

The other day I noticed a sweet potato I had purchased had grown some sprouts. 

Sprouted Sweet Potato

Rather than tossing it out, I went to the internet to find out if there might still be some use for this sweet potato.

What I discovered was quite surprising! I'm glad I didn't toss my sprouted sweet potato out!

This post has a bit about what I discovered about sweet potatoes and six ways growing sweet potatoes can improve your life.

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6 Ways Sweet Potatoes Can Help Improve the Lives of Canadian Seniors and Their Families

I really like sweet potatoes, but people; have cautioned me for years that you cannot grow sweet potatoes in Canada because you need a much longer growing season. This has not deterred me from dreaming that someday I might be able to grow sweet potatoes. 

I love the idea of being able to grow my own food, even though I don't seem to have much of a green thumb. For years I tried growing a sweet potato vine by suspending the top part of a sweet potato on skewers over a jar of water, but my sweet potatoes would only rot.

This year I accidentally sprouted an organic sweet potato that I got free with my groceries from Metro. I just left it in the thin produce bag it arrived in the cupboard and it sprouted!

I was pleased at finally being able to sprout a sweet potato vine and put it in a dish with some potting soil.  In not much time, it had developed quite a few leaves and I started training the vine into a wreath.

Sweet Potato Vine with Leaves

Well, I had been quite ill for a few days and my food supplies were running pretty low. My eyes fell on another sweet potato that had recently started growing sprouts and I wondered ... hmm is it okay to eat a sprouted sweet potato?  Could I possibly cut the sprouted part off the sweet potato and eat the bottom? The sweet potato was still quite firm.

 I went to the internet and learned that not only is it okay to eat the sprouted potato, but I can even eat the sprouts and leaves from my previously sprouted yam! 

This is very different from regular potatoes. Never eat the sprouts or leaves of ordinary potatoes. Ordinary potato leaves and spouts are extremely poisonous. Some sources caution very strongly that sometimes regular sprouted potatoes contain an increasing amount of solanine which can kill a person. 

This got me wondering - what other benefits might there be to growing sweet potatoes? 

According to Microsoft Copilot AI, these are some of the ways growing sweet potato vines can improve your life. However, be sure to triple-check this info. Last Saturday morning I asked Microsoft Copilot Ai what the date was and it replied with Monday's date! I thought I had slept for two days!

6 Ways Growing Sweet Potato Leaves and Vines Can Benefit Canadian Seniors

Growing sweet potato vines and leaves indoors can be very beneficial for Canadian seniors across various aspects of life: 

1. Emotional Benefits Indoor gardening can be a deeply satisfying and therapeutic activity. It provides a sense of accomplishment and can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Nurturing sweet potato plants and witnessing their growth can bring joy and a sense of purpose [9]²[11].  Growing plants is also a well-documented method of decreasing depression,
2. Nutritional Benefits Sweet potato leaves are a rich source of vitamins A, C, K, and B vitamins, as well as minerals like calcium and iron. They can contribute to a balanced diet, which is particularly beneficial for seniors who may have specific nutritional needs [12]⁴[13]. I found several interesting sweet potato leaf recipes online that I am looking forward to trying. Have you ever eaten sweet potato leaves, sprouts or vines? 
3. Financial Benefits Growing food indoors can help seniors save money on groceries, especially given the rising costs of fresh produce. It also offers the satisfaction of self-reliance and reduces the need for frequent trips to the store, which can be both cost-effective and convenient [1]⁶[3].In addition, since you can start your sweet potato vine crop from the top of your sweet potato that you bought to cook, it is a relatively cheap way to get extra nutrition. If you are very blessed, you might even get a few sweet potatoes!
4. Intellectual Benefits Gardening activities such as planning, planting, and caring for sweet potato vines can stimulate the brain and improve cognitive functions. It encourages learning and can be a mentally engaging hobby that helps keep the mind sharp⁷[16]⁸[18]. One way to increase the intellectual benefits of growing sweet potato vines and leaves might be to document the growth of your crop and experiment with using different lighting sources.
5.  Physical Benefits Tending to an indoor garden can provide gentle physical exercise, improving mobility, flexibility, and overall physical health. It's a low-impact activity that can help maintain muscle strength and coordination, which is important for fall prevention in seniors⁹[6][^10^][10]. 
6. Spiritual Benefits Gardening can offer spiritual fulfillment by connecting seniors with the cycles of nature. It can be a meditative practice that helps seniors find peace and contentment, and come to terms with life's natural rhythms¹¹[19]¹²[20]. 

 Overall, growing sweet potato vines and leaves indoors can enhance the well-being of Canadian seniors by offering a range of holistic benefits that touch upon every facet of life. 

Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/25/2024 (1) Indoor Gardening for Seniors - Online Senior Center. https://onlineseniorcenter.com/activities/indoor-gardening-for-seniors/. (2) Benefits of gardening for seniors - BoomersHub Blog. https://www.boomershub.com/blog/benefits-of-gardening-for-seniors. (3) 5 Benefits of Sweet Potato Leaves (and Nutrition Facts). https://www.nutritionadvance.com/sweet-potato-leaves-nutrition/. (4) 7 Surprising Benefits of Sweet Potato Leaves - Healthier Steps. https://healthiersteps.com/7-surprising-sweet-potato-leaves-benefits/. (5) Why You Should Grow Your Own Food: 8 Research-Backed Reasons. https://gardenbetty.com/grow-food/. (6) 12 Benefits Of Growing Your Own Food | Gardening is Great. https://gardeningisgreat.com/benefits-of-growing-your-own-food/. (7) The Benefits of Gardening for Seniors: A Comprehensive Guide. https://greatsenioryears.com/the-benefits-of-gardening-for-seniors-a-comprehensive-guide/. (8) Gardening Guide: The Complete Guide To Gardening For Seniors - From .... https://memorycherish.com/gardening-guide-seniors/. (9) Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Gardening for Seniors. https://greatergoodhealth.com/patients/benefits-of-gardening-for-seniors/. (10) Explore Indoor Gardening Ideas for Seniors – Stay Active & Happy!. https://greatsenioryears.com/explore-indoor-gardening-ideas-for-seniors-stay-active-happy/. (11) Gardening for Seniors’ Better Health | Lifeline. https://www.lifeline.com/blog/gardening-for-seniors-better-health/. (12) The Therapeutic Benefits of Senior Gardening: Cultivating Wellness and .... https://seniorsmedicalstore.com/articles/the-therapeutic-benefits-of-senior-gardening-cultivating-wellness-and-joy. (13) Pandemic gardening: More than half of Canadians were growing their own .... https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/pandemic-gardening-one-in-five-canadians-growing-their-own-food-at-home-study-shows. (14) Government of Canada helps more seniors age at home. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2023/12/government-of-canada-helps-more-seniors-age-at-home.html. (15) Houseplants: 6 Surprising Benefits For Seniors - All Seniors Care. https://www.allseniorscare.com/blog/houseplants-surprising-benefits-for-seniors/. (16) An All-inclusive Guide to Gardening for Seniors. https://seniorsite.org/resource/an-all-inclusive-guide-to-gardening-for-seniors/. (17) Explore Indoor Gardening Ideas for Seniors – Stay Active & Happy!. https://bing.com/search?q=emotional+benefits+of+indoor+gardening+for+seniors. (18) Sweet Potato Leaves - A Nutritional Powerhouse - The Suburban Garden. https://thesuburbangarden.net/sweet-potato-leaves/. (19) Sweet Potato Leaves: Edible, Flavor, Nutritional And Medicinal Benefits .... https://gardenersmag.com/sweet-potato-leaves/. (20) Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Gardening for Older Adults. https://www.ltcnews.com/articles/mental-and-physical-health-benefits-of-gardening-for-older-adults. (21) Gardening Guide: The Complete Guide To Gardening For Seniors - From .... https://bing.com/search?q=spiritual+benefits+of+gardening+for+seniors. (22) Gardening for Seniors: Health Benefits of Gardening for Seniors. https://alternativemedicine.com/aging/a-guide-to-gardening-for-the-elderly/. (23) 8 Blooming Health Benefits of Gardening for Seniors. https://www.nursenextdoor.com/blog/6-health-benefits-of-gardening-for-seniors/. (24) Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/worker-arranges-a-display-during-preparation-for-the-annual-news-photo/50882907.  "" 

Why are Sprouted Sweet Potatoes Safe to Eat?

Sprouted sweet potatoes are safe to eat because they are not part of the same family as regular potatoes. Sweet potatoes are part of the Morning Glory family! Do not eat regular potato vines, sprouts or leaves they are very poisonous!

What I Did With My Newly Sprouted Sweet Potato

Well armed with this new information about sweet potatoes with my courage bolstered by hunger - I cut the bottom off my sweet potato and baked it up. It was delicious. I am alive. I survived.

I then planted my sprouted sweet potato top in a pot I made from a 4l distilled water jug and sprinkled it with some potting soil I bought from Dollarama. Hopefully, there will be more sprouts and leaves on it soon.

Sprouted Sweet Potato Newly Planted

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About This Author

Sister Su is grateful to God for keeping her alive. She is a Trent/Queen's Concurrent Education graduate with over 20 years of teaching experience. She writes on several blogs, has a YouTube channel and is most easily reached through Twitter @Sister_Su See her link tree for more details:@Sister_Su | Linktree

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