I said it before, and I’ll say it again: if you’d asked me last year what I’d be eating for breakfast, the answer would not have been sweet potatoes. But then c-diff happened…1, 2, skip a few…sweet potatoes are a diet staple now. Well cooked sweet potatoes are an easily digestible and nutritious food. They’re great for boosting the immune system if you eat them regularly—they’re high in beta carotene and Vitamin C, and can help develop resistance to infection. Yay! While I rely on the overnight oats for weekday meals on-the-go, this is a go-to for me on work-from-home days (it can do its thing in the oven while I’m getting ready (pro tip: prep ahead by having sweet potato already peeled and chopped) or on weekends.
What I Use:
- 1 small sweet potato or ½ large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into about1-inch cubes.
- ½ banana, sliced
- Small handful of blueberries
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Peanut butter
- Ghee
Modification notes: When I first made this, I just did sweet potatoes and a tiny bit of peanut butter. After that went well, I added the banana and a little more peanut butter. When that went well, I graduated to the blueberries. I don’t measure the spices. I sprinkle them until it looks like what I can handle. I increased the amount of sprinkle as time went on.
What I Do:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Mix the sweet potato, ghee, cinnamon, and cardamom in a baking dish. I actually plop some ghee into the dish and put it in the oven a minute to melt. Then I add in the others and stir/flip well until they look covered.
- Put the dish in the oven for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, scoop, flip, mix the potatoes around. And then give it ten more minutes (about 20 minutes total, until fork tender).
- Add banana and blueberries, toss. Put back in oven briefly just to heat up the fruit. Note: if your peanut butter is too solid to drizzle, now is a good time to heat it up in the microwave (about 30 seconds).
- Remove from oven, toss, plate, drizzle with peanut butter.
- Eat! And don’t forget to turn the oven off. 😊 (You might not need that reminder. My husband will tell you I do.)
So I already told you some reasons why sweet potatoes are great. But for those who want to know more about the other ingredients, here you go:
Blueberries: They have lots of nutritious benefits, but the one I care about most right now is that they contain something called anthocyacins. These are antibacterial antioxidants effective against causes of gastroenteritis, such as e. coli. They combat bacteria that cause diarrhea.
Cardamom: Also has a lot of benefits, like helping break up chest congestions, but what I am currently interested in is that it can reduce the acid in some foods (or beverages like coffee!), making them easier on the stomach. Also, it’s an effective digestive stimulant (and diuretic). It’s also actually been shown to be effective in combatting H. pylori, the bacterium that causes ulcers.
Cinnamon: In Ayurveda, cinnamon is well-known for stabilizing blood sugar and is also used to balance digestion, inhibit bacterial growth, and pacify stomach disorders. Elsewhere, I’ve learned more specifically that cinnamon is a digestive aid that helps to normalize levels of both glucose and triglycerides (a type of fat) in the blood, reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease. It is also a “first class antiseptic” that can help fight bacteria, viruses, and fungal infections. It’s rich in antioxidants, which give it a mild analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect.
To be clear, I’m not saying these spices or the breakfast will cure you of anything. It’s definitely tasty, and it’s easy on my system. That’s what I can see and feel myself. If these ingredients do what I’ve learned they can, that’s a bonus! As Katherine Harmon Courage says, “Diet is one of the most powerful ways we can influence our microbiotas,” and I gotta influence mine to be its strongest, healthiest self!
Sources:
Wider than the Sky 
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