Sweet Potato or Yam....what's the difference?

Renee recently asked what the difference is between sweet potatoes and yams. The following link at the end of this post explains the difference. In actuality, most sweet potatoes and "yams" found in our grocery stores are in fact actually all sweet potatoes and have been mislabeled in American grocery stores as yams. There are many varieties of sweet potatoes and they range in skin and flesh color and texture as well as taste.

Here is an excerpt from the link below that further explains the difference:
The moist-fleshed, orange-colored root vegetable that is often thought of as a "yam" is actually a sweet potato. It was given this name after this variety of sweet potato was introduced into the United States in the mid-20th century in order to distinguish it from the white-fleshed sweet potato to which most people were accustomed. The name "yam" was adopted from "nyami," the African word for the root of the Dioscoreae genus of plants that are considered true yams. While there are attempts to distinguish between the two, such as the mandatory labeling by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that the moist-fleshed, orange-colored sweet potatoes that are labeled as "yams" also be accompanied by the label "sweet potato," when most people hear the term "yam," they think of the orange-colored sweet potato as opposed to the true yam, a root vegetable belonging to the Dioscoreae family, which are monocotyledons (have one embryonic seed leaf). Sweet potatoes belong to the Convolvulaceae or morning glory plant family, are dicotyledons (having two embryonic seed leaves) and are known by the scientific name of Ipomoea batatas.

Whether you prefer the lighter flesh colored sweet potatoes or the darker orange flesh sweet potatoes (aka "yams"), either are a good choice for carbohydrates and it is more a matter of taste preference than significant nutritional differences.


http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64

Anti-Inflammatory Diet - Dr. Weil

I read a lot of stuff from Dr. Weil and find that he does a pretty good job of breaking down the science of nutrition. As with Whole30, Dr. Weil writes a lot about how to eat in order to limit the body's inflammation response that is caused by certain foods. The following link is what he suggests to eat for controlling the body's inflammation response. There are some similarities and differences between his advice and that of Whole30, which also aims to reduce the body's inflammation response. I think when reintroducing certain foods into the diet after completing Whole30 that some of Dr. Weil's guidelines for macronutrients are good to follow.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet - Dr. Weil

Life after Whole 30

Good job, Renee....way to stick with it and notice the differences. So far, I have only reintroduced bread in my diet. That was yesterday when I had some white bread with my salad at lunch and then for dinner two slices of Ezekiel 4:9 bread for dinner. So, I really didn't expect to feel much different, but when I woke up this morning, I could definitely feel the aches and pains back that had previously subsided. My knee joints were sore and two muscular injuries that I had been nursing (one on the arm from soccer and one on the hip from running) were noticeably inflammed and sore. I had otherwise ate great and stayed well hydrated the day before, so my guess is that the bread had something to do with it.

Only 2 more days left of Whole 30

Only 2 more days left of the Whole 30 program, and still feeling good with it. My energy level has been great. While I haven't really had cravings for any of the things I've taken out of my diet, the biggest struggle for me has been getting enough protein and disciplining myself to eat more vegetables. These are two things that I am going to continue to focus on improving after this 30 days is up. Even though I will be reintroducing grains, dairy, legumes (at a slow pace of course), I still plan on working on my protein and vegetable intake. Both are key to good health, muscle retention, and performance.

Day 22 - Getting pretty used to this....

So, it just dawned on me that it is already day 22 and there is only 8 days left of this Whole 30 round for Kaci and me. My take is that this has actually been pretty simple. Although, I think there are a few things I can improve upon....more veggies and less fruit (I'm addicted to raspberries, strawberries, and cherries I think), and fewer nuts (probably am "crackin out" on nuts more than I should - they are too darn convenient). Aside from those things, I haven't had any cravings for processed foods or desserts/sugary stuff, dairy, or even grains or legumes. It seems pretty crazy, but I don't really miss any of it. We went to a wedding this weekend, and I was able to bypass the wedding cake, wine, Summer Brew (which sounded great), and my favorite mixed drink - Malibu Rum and diet Coke. I was content with my water and a plate of roast beef, veggies and fruit, and was still able to socialize with everyone else just fine. :-)

So, how are the rest of you ladies doing following the Whole 30? Any particular issues?

Day 16 - Over half way

Ok, so we are over half way on the Whole 30 program. I have to confess that this weekend was a little difficult for me. Not because of temptations for anything (like ice cream or a glass of wine:-), but just due to bad planning. We were out in the Gorge this weekend, hiking and staying at Skamania Lodge. My energy got really low after hiking all day on Saturday and then sitting in the jaccuzzi and sauna Sat evening. On Sunday, I was drained. For breakfast, I did the best I could from the menu, which ended up being an omlette with bacon (no cheese and fruit instead of hashbrowns) all was good until we went to the driving range to hit a few balls. My energy dropped a lot and I had to get something to eat. With the few choices I had from the snack shack at the golf course, I ended up with beef jerkey and dried fruit in a trail mix both containing sugar. Neither was very satisfying or helped my energy low. So, my lesson learned was that I need to plan better. The difference for me I later realized was that I did not have nearly the amount of vegetables (or protein) all weekend that I'd been eating the last two weeks. Usually I carry lots of raw veggies with me (carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, etc.)and munch on those throughout the day, which keeps my energy even and always provides the pick up I need when I start to feel tired.

So, the key is planning ahead! Especially when you don't know what food options you are going to have. Here is a link to what Dallas and Melissa keep in their cooler for their road trip.

Food for the cooler

Day 12 - Still going strong

Just a quick update before the holiday weekend to report that as of day 12, the Whole 30 program is still going well for me. Still need to work on getting more sleep, but energy has been consistent throughout the day and no real strong cravings for any of the foods that have been removed. I am mostly amazed with how much more mental focus I have and that my knees are not killing me in the mornings!

Kaci - Hope all is going well for you with the program - have a Happy 4th of July!