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Sweet potatoes are widely consumed by gym goers and physical activity practitioners due to the supply of energy to the body, since their main source of nutrient is carbohydrate.
However, sweet potatoes alone do not make you fat or thin. This will depend on the diet as a whole and the level of physical activity. To lose weight, you need to have a negative energy balance, that is, spend more calories than you have consumed. To gain weight or gain muscle mass, you need to eat more calories than you spend.
Like all foods, sweet potatoes should be consumed in moderation, according to the individual energy and nutrient goals and needs. For this, it is important to seek a nutritionist to create an eating plan that helps to achieve the results more efficiently.
How to use sweet potatoes to gain muscle mass
As a source of carbohydrates, eating sweet potatoes improves performance in training and therefore helps in gaining muscle mass. But it is important to know that this process depends not only on exercise, but also on the balance of intake between proteins and carbohydrates.
In general, it is important to consume foods with carbohydrates and proteins at a frequency of 3 to 6 meals a day. The ideal proportion of these nutrients is 4: 1, that is, it is necessary to ingest 4 times the amount in grams of carbohydrate in relation to protein when the objective is to build muscle mass.
For this, if 200 grams of sweet potatoes are consumed, it means that 40 grams of carbohydrates are being eaten, so it is recommended to consume 10 grams of protein in the same meal, which can be obtained, for example, with 2 eggs.
See 7 essential tips to gain muscle mass faster.
How to use sweet potatoes to lose weight
Sweet potatoes are rich in fibers, which increase the feeling of satiety and therefore can also be used for those who want to lose weight. For this, sweet potatoes must be consumed with the peel, as it is the part of the food richest in fiber.
Another option is to include sweet potatoes in the meal with other foods rich in fiber, such as vegetables and fruits, as this increases the volume of the meal and decreases the intake of calories, being a good strategy for those who want to lose weight.
In addition, the way of preparing the potato is fundamental, as it directly influences the amount of calories. Thus, preparing boiled or baked sweet potatoes will promote greater weight loss benefits than fried sweet potatoes, since the oils used for frying are highly caloric.
In general, there is no standard amount of sweet potato that should be consumed to lose weight, as this varies from person to person and according to the level of physical activity, weight and height.
Check out a recipe for sweet potato bread to lose weight.
Sweet potato benefits
Provided that it is consumed in moderation, sweet potatoes can be used both to gain muscle mass or to lose weight, as it has numerous health and immunity benefits, due to its composition in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C and potassium. See the health benefits of sweet potatoes better.
Created by: Tua Saúde Editorial Team
Bibliography>
- PORTUGUESE FOOD INFORMATION PLATFORM. Food Composition: Raw Sweet Potato. Available in: . Accessed on 27 Feb 2020
- KROCHMAL- MARCZAK Barbara, SAWICKA Barbara et al. Nutrition value of the sweet potato (Ipomoea potatoes (L.) Lam) cultivated in south - eastern Polish conditions. International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research. 4.4; 169-178, 2014
- MAHAN, L. Kathleen et al. Krause: Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy. 13.ed. São Paulo: Elsevier Editora, 2013.