Sweet Potatoes Benefits and the Kaufmann 1 Diet

Whether or not a food is deemed “healthy” is a combination of many factors. These factors include things such as what macronutrients are inherent in a given food, such as fats, carbohydrates, fiber and protein. Those macronutrients can be further broken down into categories like saturated vs. unsaturated fats, monounsaturated vs. polyunsaturated fats, simple vs. complex carbs, soluble vs. insoluble fiber, etc. Another factor involved in deciding whether a food is healthy or not includes deciding whether or not a food is rich in vitamins, minerals or anti-oxidants. The richer a food is in these compounds, the more likely it will be deemed healthy, because science continues to show that these foods contribute to good health.

There are certain foods that wind up on nearly every “healthiest foods” compilation list. These foods are typically rich in certain nutrients, or high in good fats, fiber or protein. Most foods contained on this list are generally accepted as good for dieting. Sweet potatoes are one of those foods.

Back to the sweet potato. Sweet potato benefits include an extremely high level of beta carotene (responsible for their orange color), vitamin C, manganese and other important, health promoting nutrients. Sweet potato benefits have also been shown to include anti-inflammatory properties, help protect against heavy metals and help regulate blood sugar. All these things considered, it sounds like a pretty healthy food.

One factor not generally considered when determining whether a food is fit for dieting or not is it’s contribution or prevention of pathogenic fungal infections. Pathogenic fungi are an often-overlooked causes of health problems––many people may be suffering from symptoms they can’t explain without realizing they have a problem with yeasts or fungi in their body. What they also may not understand is that the foods they eat on a regular basis––even the foods generally considered healthy––could be playing a role in that fungal infection.

Fungi love sugar, and if you have a pathogenic fungal infection, you’ll likely crave sugar and foods high in carbohydrates: breads, pasta, potatoes, cereal etc. Those carbs break down very quickly in the digestive process to become the sugar those fungi need to survive.

Therefore, when we judge it against the criteria for the Kaufmann 1 Diet, sweet potatoes may––at least initially––may contribute to a deeply-seated fungal infection. Their sugar content would be just the thing pathogenic fungi would need to flourish, despite their nutrient value.

Sweet potatoes are relegated to the Kaufmann 2 Diet. After you’ve been on the Kaufmann 1 Diet for a while, switching to the Kaufmann 2 Diet allows for more carbohydrates and foods rich in them, such as sweet potatoes. At that time, feel free to enjoy all of the wonderful benefits therein.

The Kaufmann 1’s primary goal is the elimination of pathogenic fungi. Working towards this end may mean eliminating some foods conventionally thought of as healthy. Sweet potatoes are one example, but one that can fortunately be enjoyed on Kaufmann 2.