Sweet potatoes have a sterling nutritional profile, making them a great food for people with diabetes. As a root vegetable, the sweet potato is higher in fiber than white potatoes. Fiber cannot be digested by the human body, so it provides bulk without adding calories and helps you feel full for longer.
“Sweet potatoes have many health benefits,” says Sylvia White, RD, a certified diabetes care and education specialist in private practice in Nashville. “They’re anti-inflammatory and have antioxidants that help prevent diseases including heart disease, the number-one cause of death in people with diabetes.”
One of these antioxidants is vitamin C, a nutrient that’s important for the formation and repair of blood vessels, muscle, and collagen in the body. Vitamin C can also aid the absorption of iron, reducing your risk of iron deficiency and associated symptoms (including fatigue and lightheadedness).
Sweet potatoes are also an excellent source of vitamin A. “This vitamin may help improve the function of pancreatic beta cells,” says Lori Zanini, RD, CDCES, the creator of the free online training programs at For the Love of Diabetes, based in Manhattan Beach, California. Central to diabetes, pancreatic beta cells produce, store, and release insulin.
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Tips and Tricks for Preparing Sweet Potatoes if You Have Diabetes
If you have diabetes, you can eat sweet potatoes daily as long as you factor the vegetable’s carbohydrate count into your meal planning.
“Sweet potatoes are a source of carbohydrates, which raise blood sugars,” says White. “People with diabetes can eat carbs but need to watch portions of foods with carbs.”
To avoid blood sugar issues, limit portions to half a sweet potato per meal or snack. Then pair that portion with a protein source, such as chicken breast or eggs, to further stabilize blood glucose levels, advises Zanini.
1. Add Sweet Potatoes to a Smoothie
“I add cooked sweet potato pieces to a smoothie with half of a small banana for sweetness, yogurt for a boost of protein, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger or pumpkin spice for an added aromatic flavor,” says Tracee Yablon Brenner, RDN, a certified holistic health counselor and the author of Simple Foods for Busy Families.
Using a lower-carbohydrate nondairy milk like unsweetened almond milk as your base can give your smoothie a creamy texture and more indulgent feel without throwing off your blood sugar balance.
2. Top Sweet Potatoes With Nut Butter and Fruit
This combination is a go-to for Atlanta-based registered dietitian nutritionist Marisa Moore. Just heat up half of a baked sweet potato in the toaster oven or microwave, then add a dollop of peanut butter and a few sliced fresh grapes, she says. If you’re having this for breakfast, serve it with a side of scrambled eggs for extra protein.
If you’re not a peanut butter fan, you can use other nut butters to add protein, healthy fats, fiber, and antioxidants to a sweet potato. Almond butter has a fraction of the saturated fat as peanut butter, and walnut butter is full of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
3. Make Sweet Potato Toast
“I love cutting sweet potatoes into thin slices and toasting them to make sweet potato toast,” says Abbey Sharp, RD, a registered dietitian in Toronto. “You can then top them with any of your favorite healthy high-protein toppings.” She recommends trying cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, or eggs.
If you’re looking for a plant-based combination, transform your sweet potato toast into avocado toast. Avocado will add even more fiber to your plate alongside healthy fats, vitamin C, and potassium. Up the protein ante with a sprinkle of hemp seeds on top.
4. Experiment With Baked Sweet Potatoes
Flavor half a baked sweet potato with chipotle pepper for sweet and spicy flair, suggests Moore. Or roll pieces of baked sweet potato in nuts and seeds. Try a mixture of chopped pecans, walnuts, hemp seeds, and cinnamon, suggests Yablon Brenner.
Baked sweet potatoes pair wonderfully with a number of nutrient-dense, diabetes-friendly foods, including carrots and red lentils (which are carbohydrate dense but also contain lots of helpful fiber). So don’t be afraid to get creative when building your sweet potato side dish.
5. Mash Sweet Potatoes
To cut down on added sugar, Yablon Brenner suggests mashing cooked sweet potatoes with diabetes-friendly seasonings like cinnamon and ginger. “The cinnamon brings out the sweetness in the sweet potatoes,” she says. “Mashed sweet potatoes are a delicious side, as well as a breakfast dish when combined with yogurt, nuts, or nut butter.”
Going the savory route with your mashed sweet potatoes instead can result in a surprisingly balanced dish. Sautéed spinach, cumin, and roasted garlic all make for delicious additions while putting additional nutrients on your plate.
6. Create a Sweet Potato Bowl
Cube half a cooked sweet potato, then add it to a bowl with black beans, ½ cup of cooked quinoa, and sautéed spinach, suggests New York City-based Toby Amidor, RD, author of The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook. While both black beans and quinoa are high in carbohydrates, they also contain lots of fiber, making them diabetes-friendly foods when portioned carefully and consumed in moderation.
You can also give a sweet potato bowl a breakfast spin by adding them to scrambled eggs, sautéed spinach, and a few avocado slices for an energizing, blood sugar-stabilizing, and satisfying start to your day.
7. Add Sweet Potatoes to Soup
“Soups are nourishing, and sweet potatoes add a creamy texture and sweetness to soup,” says Yablon Brenner, whose favorite sweet potato soup is made with red lentils, carrots, onions, and a variety of spices and herbs.
While some soups incorporate pureed sweet potatoes as a base, others (like hearty vegetable stews and chilies) feature the starch cubed and cooked until tender. Both are delicious and healthy ways to add this fiber-rich starch to a type 2 diabetes-friendly diet.
The Takeaway
Sweet potatoes may be a good food choice for people with diabetes, thanks to their fiber and micronutrient content, and are worth eating in moderation as part of a healthy, diabetes-friendly diet.
Since sweet potatoes are a source of carbohydrates, it’s important for people with diabetes to be mindful of portion size and pair sweet potatoes with a high-quality protein source to further stabilize their blood sugar.
Have a little fun trying creative ways to integrate sweet potatoes into your diet, from hydrating smoothies to satisfying sweet potato toast to comforting seasonal soups.
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Julie Cunningham has been a registered dietitian for more than 25 years. She is a certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES) and an international board-certified lactation consultant. She has served as the president of the Foothills Chapter of the North Carolina Dietetics Association (NCDA) and has been a member of the executive board of the NCDA.
Ms. Cunningham received a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University in North Carolina. She subsequently completed a master's degree in public health nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ms. Cunningham has worked in women's and children's health, cardiology, and diabetes. She is the author of 30 Days to Tame Type 2 Diabetes, and she has also written for Abbott Nutrition News, Edgepark Medical Health Insights, diaTribe, Babylist, and others.
A resident of beautiful western North Carolina, Cunningham is an avid reader who enjoys yoga, travel, and all things chocolate.
Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, is a nationally recognized registered dietitian nutritionist in Stamford, Connecticut. She previously held editor positions at Health, Prevention, Parents, American Baby, Weight Watchers Magazine, and WeightWatchers.com. She has written and contributed to more than 2,000 health and nutrition articles for print, online, and broadcast media.
Gorin has also contributed recipes to several books, including The Runner's World Vegetarian Cookbook, The Runner's World Cookbook, and The MIND Diet. She publishes healthy vegetarian recipes on her blog, Plant Based with Amy, and specializes in plant-based eating.
Gorin shares her media knowledge through Master the Media, a media-training program for registered dietitians and health professionals, that helps experts with influence experience time and income flexibility.
