Sweet Potatoes: The Sexiest Food in the Running World

I say it probably once a month, but there is a reason I am an athlete and not a chef. Presentation is not vital to me as long as it is delicious. I am also all about 2 or three ingredients constituting a meal so when I invite people over for dinner, I warn them it’s going to be weird.

One of my saving graces is sweet potatoes because I can serve them up as a veggie, as a carb or as a dessert or a perfect combination of all three. I have these on my shopping list every week and there are so many reasons why.

1. Vitamin B6: This helps with the production of blood cells which means a faster and stronger workout. It also is involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates which is a crucial fuel for a runner.

2. Vitamin C: This little nugget isn’t just involved in keeping the immune system ticking along well, but it also plays an important role in bone formation, digestion and blood cell formation which are all key bits in keeping a runner on the road.

3. Vitamin D: There is not a person in the world who couldn’t deal with a little more Vitamin D if they live in a cold climate. This vitamin plays an important role in energy levels and mood to keep you motivated for your long runs and helps keep your bones strong. (You can tell this is a personal mission of mine!)

4. Iron. Every time your foot hits the ground, you compress your blood cells and they break. Your body then is tasked with regenerating them which is fine, but it also decreases your iron levels. Throw in the fact that you are female and lose even more blood once a month and you are riding the iron deficiency train! This means low energy poor immune system and response to stress as well as poor metabolism of proteins.

5. Magnesium: This is the relaxation mineral. If you don’t have enough it, and trust me, many runners do not, your muscles will experience spasms or cramping as well negatively affecting the nervous system.

6. Potassium: An extremely important electrolyte that regulates heart beat and nerve signals.

7. Natural Sugar: Even though sweet potatoes are carby critters, their sugars are natural and are slowly, steadily released into the blood stream for a balanced source of energy without blood sugar spikes.

8. Carotenoids: Naturally high in carotenoids, they help strengthen our eyesight and boost our immunity to disease as well as being powerful antioxidants which means a swift recovery in training.

One of my go-to ways to consume sweet potatoes is simply roasting them as wedges.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato

Herbamare sea salt

Coconut Oil and Butter Ghee

Instructions: Pre heat oven to 410 degrees. Cut sweet potato into wedges, coat with oil and salt. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!!

That is literally it and how I like my recipes – super easy and three ingredients or less.

Another recipe I love with sweet potatoes that is too unsightly to share is to boil a potato and mash a scoop of protein powder  into the potato for a sweet and delicious post workout snack.

What are your favourite sweet potato recipes? Any of the links in today’s post are 20% off with the code LacesLattes at checkout.

Why Athletes Need Magnesium – Michelle the Runner

Iron for Runners – Eat Spin Run Repeat

Sweet Potato Fritters – Goodness Me!

Sweet Potato Muffins – Goodness Me!

Goodness Me – 20% off all purchases with code LacesLattes