Day 49 - Why Yams Are Healthy!

Ever since Thanksgiving I have been incessantly cravings yams. The deeply pigmented orange creamed flesh, baked until pockets of caramelized starch are oozing their way out of the forked skin... ahhh. Divine.

As an Awake Eater I honor my desires. Because of this it occurred to me that eating yams any day I wish was okay. Why wait for a special occasion to have them? I was going to give myself unconditional permission to eat yams until they no longer appealed to me.

I ate them baked with olive oil in the morning. I cubed them and threw them in a roasted root vegetable rosemary dish. I mashed them with vegetable broth, sliced them into medallions and topped my salads. I made long and crispy cayenne pepper french fries with them.

Fast forward to nearly three months later. There has not been a day that has gone by where I have not had a yam. Literally. Honestly, having one everyday feels good to me still. The temperature, taste and texture is appealing and pleasing to my senses. When I feel beyond my taste buds I am satisfied; there is no doubt that my craving is feeding an inherent need. So now it is time to investigate. What is it about my yummo yammy that is so right on?

I know, first of all, that because of my training regimen that my body is wanting a quick carbohydrate energy fix. Due to the amount of muscle that I have been building it makes sense that my body is craving a carb loaded food so that I replace the glycogen stores that my body needs for recovery.

Yams are also great sources of the following nutrients (amounts found in just 1 cup of yam):

• Fiber (21.2% DV) - Provides a more steady and lasting energy and assists in sloughing out toxins from the digestive system.
• B1- Thiamine (8.6% DV) - Maintains energy supplies, coordinates activity of muscles and nerves.
• B6 (15.5% DV) - Nervous system help, breaks down sugars and starches, radiance of skin and hormonal balance.
• Vitamin C (27% DV) - Elasticity of skin and connective tissue, immune health, improves iron absorption (healthy blood and energy supplies), powerful antioxidant and assists in respiratory health.
• Manganese (25% DV) - Synthesizes fat and cholesterol, nervous system and thyroid function and blood sugar regulation.
• Potassium (26% DV) - Muscle and nerve function, electrolyte and acid-base balance, the storage of carbohydrates for use by muscles as fuel.

Each one of the above nutrients is supporting my need for lasting but easily absorb-able energy for my cells in general but also for my muscles and in-demand nervous system. They also pack the punch of removing toxins, fighting off free radical damage and internal aging. No wonder!

Nat