November 9, 2015

Give & Take

59 1 4 3Thankful

According to a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll, more than half of Americans (56 percent) say they have God to thank most for their well-being/health. Here’s how the numbers stack up:

“The reason that discipleship is talked about so much, but practiced so little, is because it’s so costly.”

Pastor Jeff Coleman in a sermon, live-streamed from Palmer, Alaska

MOVED

During a church service several years ago my father dozed off. Meanwhile, the minister asked for two volunteers to move the podium so the congregation could see the upcoming baptism. Waking up and thinking that a vote had been called, my father stood and said, “I so move.”

—Heidi K. Banks, Leominster, Massachusetts (from our Give & Take archives, November 1997)

ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO . . .

One medium sweet potato (two-inch diameter, five inches long, approximately 114 grams) provides 162 calories, 0 grams of fat, 37 grams of carbohydrate (including 6 grams of fiber and 12 grams of sugar), and 3.6 grams of protein, according to the USDA’s national nutrient database.

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That one potato contains about 400 percent of an average adult’s daily need for vitamin A (beta-carotene, which gives the orange color, is converted to vitamin A in the body). One medium spud will also provide 37 percent of needed vitamin C, 16 percent of vitamin B6, 10 percent of pantothenic acid, 15 percent of potassium, and 28 percent of manganese. Low in protein, sweet potatoes lack vitamins D and B12.

Consuming foods rich in beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer, may offer protection against asthma and heart disease, and may help delay aging and body degeneration.

The color of sweet potatoes can vary, but no matter the color, wash well before cooking (try steaming or boiling)—and don’t peel the skin off. You’ll lose fiber, potassium, and quercetin.

Consider having sweet potatoes this Thanksgiving. Just don’t add the sugar and marshmallows (cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or cloves work well)—and watch out for the sweet potato pie!

—information gathered from the Medical News Today (http://ow.ly/SwSej) and LiveStrong.com (http://ow.ly/SwBTm)

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