As autumn deepens, it's the season when sweet potatoes are in abundant supply.

This sweet and soft ingredient is not only a delight for the taste buds but also a health treasure for menopausal women.

However, how can we consume them scientifically to maximize their nutritional value and avoid unnecessary health risks? Let’s explore the professional advice from doctors.

Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and various other nutrients, offering unique advantages in addressing common issues during menopause.

The dietary fiber in it helps relieve constipation, vitamin C can boost immunity, and potassium is beneficial for controlling blood pressure. However, to fully reap these benefits, it's important to pay attention to the following key points.

Control Consumption: Managing Portions Is Key

Although sweet potatoes are beneficial, excessive consumption may cause issues. It is recommended to limit daily intake to 100-200 grams, roughly equivalent to one-third to one-half of a medium-sized sweet potato. This portion provides essential nutrients without burdening the body.

During menopause, women experience a decline in basal metabolic rate, leading to a corresponding reduction in calorie needs. Sweet potatoes contain a relatively high amount of carbohydrates, and excessive intake may lead to calorie surplus, resulting in weight gain.

Additionally, the oxidase in sweet potatoes can easily produce carbon dioxide gas in the gastrointestinal tract, and consuming too much may cause discomfort such as bloating and belching.

Timing Matters: Lunch Is the Best Choice

It is recommended to consume sweet potatoes during lunchtime, as the body's metabolism is more active during this period, allowing for better digestion and absorption of their nutrients and making full use of the energy they provide.

After dinner, physical activity decreases and metabolic rate slows down. Consuming sweet potatoes at this time not only places a heavier burden on digestion, but their rich sugar and carbohydrate content may also be converted into fat and stored.

Especially for perimenopausal women who frequently experience sleep issues, excessive consumption of sweet potatoes during dinner may exacerbate gastrointestinal discomfort and affect sleep quality.

Note the combination method: Protein is the golden partner

Eating sweet potatoes alone may cause a rapid increase in blood sugar due to their carbohydrate content. It is recommended to pair them with protein-rich foods such as eggs, milk, lean meat, or soy products.

This combination can slow down the rise in blood sugar levels, provide longer-lasting satiety, and ensure nutritional balance. Women in menopause need adequate protein to maintain muscle mass and prevent muscle loss, which is crucial for preserving metabolic rate and bone health.

Pay attention to cooking methods: steaming or boiling is preferable to roasting

It is recommended to adopt low-temperature cooking methods such as steaming or boiling, as these methods better preserve the water-soluble vitamins in sweet potatoes while avoiding the excessive production of harmful substances like acrylamide from high-temperature baking.

Special attention should be paid to ensuring that sweet potatoes are thoroughly cooked. In undercooked sweet potatoes, starch granules remain incompletely broken down, which not only makes them difficult to digest but also easily causes gastrointestinal discomfort.

When cooking, sweet potatoes can be cut into small pieces, which shortens the cooking time and ensures even heating.

Special considerations for certain groups: Choose based on individual constitution.

While sweet potatoes are a healthy food choice for most people, the following groups of perimenopausal women need to pay special attention:

Those with weaker gastrointestinal function should moderately reduce consumption to avoid worsening bloating and discomfort;

Those with poor blood sugar control need to consume under medical guidance and correspondingly reduce their staple food portions;

Patients with kidney disease need to limit potassium intake and should consume in appropriate amounts under the guidance of a dietitian.

Women in menopause can better enjoy the deliciousness and nutrition of sweet potatoes through the following methods:

Cooking sweet potatoes with millet and rice into porridge can nourish the stomach and aid digestion; stir-frying diced sweet potatoes with chicken breast and adding appropriate vegetables provides balanced nutrition and delicious taste; mashing steamed sweet potatoes and mixing them with flour to make sweet potato steamed buns or pancakes can be part of the staple food.

Finally, it’s important to remember that although sweet potatoes are beneficial, they cannot completely replace staple foods or vegetables.

The diet of menopausal women should focus on diversity, ensuring a reasonable combination of grains, protein, vegetables, and fruits. While enjoying the health benefits of sweet potatoes, it is also important to maintain moderate exercise and good lifestyle habits.