-ATHLETE HEALTH TK

NEWSLETTER COPY Sweetpotatoes are versatile, easily stored, available year-round and budget friendly. Plus, they can be incor porated into a wide variety of dishes from main dishes to side dishes, desserts, snacks, smoothies and every thing in between. Whether fueling up for a road race or training in the off-season, sweetpotatoes are a nutrient packed powerhouse that athletic performance, recovery and overall health.

y Sweetpotatoes can be used in a number of recipes from breads, muffins, pizza crust and pasta to smoothies, casseroles, soups, stews and more. Sweetpotato can take center stage, be used as a side dish or incorporated into a variety of main dishes. Here are some ways athletes can incorporate sweetpotatoes into their diet: y Roast sweetpotato fries or wedges, add spring onions and feta and enjoy! y Dice sweetpotato cubes and rub with a little avocado oil. Season with garlic and salt prior to roasting them. Add the cubes to salads or eat alone as a side dish. y Bake a sweetpotato and add a little light butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. y Roast diced sweetpotatoes and add them to tacos or enchiladas. y Bake a sweetpotato and stuff it with beans, onions, sautéed or roasted sweet bell peppers, guacamole and cheese. y Mash sweetpotatoes and flavor with garlic and chives or brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. y Make sweetpotato pancakes, muffins, waffles or bread. Sweetpotato orange pancakes make a delightful morning treat. Serving sweetpotato bread topped with chopped roasted pecans alongside a hot cup of tea makes a wonderful afternoon snack on a cooler Autumn day. y Purée sweetpotatoes into a soup. Sweet- potatoes can also be used in many recipes that call for carrots, butternut squash or pumpkin. y Blend sweetpotatoes into chili. y Make sweetpotato toast and top it with your favorite protein or try mini sweetpotato toast bites (sweetpotatoes sliced into rounds) with shredded cheese and sour cream. y Add mashed sweetpotatoes in place of some of the liquid in brownie mixes. y Make sweetpotato gnocchi. y Sweetpotatoes can be blended with chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and salt to make a sweetpotato hummus. y Slice sweetpotatoes thinly and bake them with sweetpotato chips. Pair them with guacamole or avocado mash. y Enjoy a sweetpotato lentil soup by pairing sweetpotatoes with red lentils, carrots, on ions, garlic, vegetable broth and ginger. y Try sweetpotato in a cornbread stuffing .

October SWEETPOTATO COMBINATIONS AND SWAPS

SOCIAL POSTS Sweetpotatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrate to fuel athletic activity. Instead of reaching for store-bought bread, make your own Sweetpotato Blueberry Bread. This recipe is packed with great nutrition from sweetpotatoes, blueberries and walnuts. Try sweetpotatoes and a number of different dishes to improve flavor nutrition and texture. Super versatile sweet potatoes can be added to many dishes or replace food such as bread, fries, oil and more in recipes. For inspiration and recipes visit ncsweetpotatoes.com. y Sweetpotato soups help keep you hydrated and warm during cooler months. When incorporated into a soup alongside a source of protein, sweet potato soup can make an excellent workout meal. y Try sweetpotato toast. Whether topped with eggs or made into rounds with cheese and toasted nuts, sweetpotato toast makes an exceptionally tasty and nutritious toast option or cracker substitute. y Blend sweetpotatoes into smoothies. Cook, mash and cool, then pair them with any combination of milk, yogurt, almond milk, add carrots, mango, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey. #SweetSwaps #ncsweetpotatoes REFERENCES 1. The Flavor Bible. Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg. Little, Brown and Company publishers 2016.

TALKING POINTS y Sweetpotatoes are a fantastic substitute for a number of foods. This is great news as they are available year round and so easy to prepare. Sweetpotatoes can be used in place of, bread, chips, applesauce or other liquids in recipes (used mashed sweetpotatoes), carrots and other root vegetables, and various types of squash. y Sweetpotatoes pair well with a variety of flavors from savory to sweet. In particular, sweetpotatoes do especially well when accompanied with the following: y Spices: allspice, bay leaf, chili peppers, cilantro, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, parsley, pepper, salt, thyme. y Sweeteners: honey, maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar. y Apples and apple juice, cream, lime juice, olive, peanut and sesame oil, onions, orange, pecans, walnuts. 1

y Here are some flavor combinations that help make sweetpotatoes shine: y Sweetpotatoes + allspice + cinnamon + ginger y Sweetpotatoes + apples + sage y Sweetpotatoes + bacon + onions + rosemary y Sweetpotatoes + kale + prosciutto y Sweetpotatoes + maple syrup + pecans y Sweetpotatoes + apples + honey

y Try steaming sweetpotatoes and scooping them out to use in a recipe. Steaming breaks down the fibrous structure of sweetpotatoes so they are spoonable. Simply cut them in half, add a little light butter spread and then place the sweetpotato back together and steam for 20 minutes. Next separate the sweetpotato halves and place them on parchment paper on top of a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. These sweetpotatoes will come out spoonable, sweet and caramelized.

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