Orange sweet potatoes have a glycemic index of 61 and a glycemic load of 11 while murasaki has a higher glycemic index of 75 and a significantly higher glycemic load of 22. Which was prepared by boiling them for some 8 minutes. The glycemic index results from the research are based on a serving of 150 grams of sweet potato. The testing done by Australia’s Sydney University certainly confirms this. The fact that murasaki has such a creamy, smooth consistency would make one suspicious that it is absorbed faster thus having a much greater impact on blood glucose levels. When it comes to another important health consideration, the glycemic impact, the murasaki does not fare especially well again even when set against other types of sweet potato.Īccording to research, the murasaki contains a whopping 60% or so more sugar than a regular orange fleshed sweet potato. While ORAC values are not the be all and end all, this is pretty good evidence that the murasaki is far from your healthiest choice of sweet potato. Even the regular orange sweet potato that we all know and love comes in several fold higher at 902. While raw purple sweet potatoes are valued at 2720 on the ORAC scale, the murasaki only rates a 272. These compounds are a type of anthocyanin which are a very powerful class of antioxidant.īecause of the absence of pigments in the flesh, the murasaki contains very few antioxidants. That is because the more purple the flesh, the more cyanidin and peonidin the food possesses. In a comparative study conducted by Sydney University between the murasaki, purple fleshed sweet potatoes and the regular orange variety, the purple kind comes out on top by a country mile. It appears that purple colored potatoes contain far more antioxidants than the pure white variety like the murasaki. When it comes to the antioxidant value of various sweet potatoes, the murasaki does not fare well at all. The murasaki is pure white on the inside despite having a much darker purple or brown colored skin.īy comparison, the Okinawa sweet potato is less creamy but has a sweeter, fruitier taste. The murasaki has a much creamier texture and less noticeable fibrous strings. T he taste of the murasaki is very different to the orange variety and has been compared with the taste of chestnuts. The murasaki sweet potato has a very different flavor, texture and appearance compared with the regular orange yam. In fact, murasaki contains 40% vitamin C compared to 5% in the regular orange variety. Murasaki is higher in both vitamin A and vitamin C.The murasaki contains considerably more potassium.Both contain near identical amounts of carbohydrates with 26 grams and 25 grams respectively.Both have four grams of dietary fiber representing 16% of your recommended daily value.Calories are almost identical with the murasaki containing 120 calories compared to the orange sweet potato’s 112.Being that we are more familiar with the orange fleshed variety of sweet potato in the West, let us use that as a marker to compare the two.įor the Comparison, one serving equates to 130 grams or one medium sized potato. When it comes to the white fleshed variety of sweet potato like murasaki, they vary very little in terms of appearance and taste and their nutritional value is nearly identical. See also 9 Home Remedies for Swollen Gums In order to evaluate its health benefits, it is necessary to compare murasaki sweet potatoes with the traditional orange yams that you are used to eating and also the purple Okinawan variety. Murasaki is a white variety of sweet potato grown in Japan. While considerably healthier than the traditional western spud, it may offer further proof that the Japanese diet is not quite the picture of perfect health that we have been told. Of course, this article has nothing to do with fruit but a Japanese variety of sweet potato called murasaki. They also have a tendency to peel their fruit which also cuts off much of the nutritional value and plenty of the antioxidant potential. Having said that, the Japanese diet is not always as healthy as we would assume and they are not immune to the curse of the sweet tooth. Even products which are marketed as ‘healthy’ like protein bars have more often than not been sweetened with the addition of some type of sugar. And let’s face it, we do tend to overdo it in the sugar stakes.įor example, these days it is nigh on impossible to get hold of a dried berry in American grocery stores that has not been sweetened further with unnecessary sugar. When compared with the traditional Western and American diet, the Japanese people have much less fondness for all things sweet. Given that the Japanese have a well earned reputation for longevity, it is always interesting to take a look at their diets.
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