Which Sweet Potato is Best for Winter Health – Orange or Purple?

With the arrival of autumn, our food preferences shift as usual towards the ones that are immune boosters and preventive against the common cold and flu. One of the classic winter favorites, among others, is the sweet potato—delicious, nutrient-rich and brimming with health benefits. However, not many people know that the immune-boosting properties of sweet potatoes are largely affected by their skin color.

The orange and the purple sweet potatoes nearly have the same appearance but nutritionally they are totally different and serve very different roles in the body.

Beta-Carotene: the Orange Sweet Potatoes' Victory

Beta-carotene is a provitamin A substance that the organism converts into vitamin A, one of the most important substances for the immune system. Vitamin A works to keep the respiratory and digestive tract linings healthy, which in turn protects the body from getting infected.

The part where sweet potatoes of orange flesh stand out is very clearly.

In the majority of orange kinds, beta-carotene is responsible for over 99% of the total carotenoids

This is really a much higher amount than the one found in purple sweet potatoes

Purple sweet potatoes have carotenoids as well but in very little amount. The rich purple color of the potatoes is derived mostly from anthocyanins, not beta-carotene and that is the reason why they are not the same nutritionally talking.

What Is the Relevance of Beta-Carotene in the Winter Time?

Vitamin A is the most important vitamin for the immune system's health. It helps in maintaining:

• Strong mucus membranes
• Right immune cell communication
• Being resistant to infections in the respiratory system

There has been a connection made by researchers between the increased intake of beta-carotene and the decreased occurrence of acute respiratory diseases, which gives the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes even more importance in the winter season—the time when infections are most frequent and available fresh produce may be limited.

What Purple Sweet Potatoes Offer Instead

The purple sweet potatoes enhance the immune system differently.

They are full of anthocyanins and polysaccharides, which are the compounds famous for their:

• Properties of antioxidants
• Effects of anti-inflammatory

The research works have indicated that these compounds are possibly in a position to help manage inflammation by increasing the activity of macrophages and decreasing oxidative stress—especially beneficial during the time of recovery from the illness or in the period of the immune system's strain.

Dark purple breeds usually have a higher antioxidant capacity, but still, they don't take over the immune-support role of vitamin A.

How to Use Both for Better Winter Health

In case you want to have a strong immune system this winter, orange sweet potatoes are the ones for you. They can be:

• Roasted
• Mashed
• Put in soups or stews
• Prepared with a little fat in order to mix with carotene to improve absorption

Purple sweet potatoes are the best when they are combined with other foods. When served together with the orange ones, they not only give the body antioxidant protection but also bring nutritional diversity—both being vital for health in general.

Bottom Line

The orange sweet potatoes will be the ones that provide direct immune support throughout winter, as they are the major suppliers of beta-carotene and hence the vitamin A levels are kept up. The purple sweet potatoes will be the partners preventing this by regulating inflammation and oxidative stress.

However, it is advisable to use both, but if only one is to be chosen for immunity then orange sweet potatoes are undoubtedly the winner.