The recent surge in sweet potato popularity and consumption can be attributed to consumers learning about its high nutritional value.

Studies have shown that orange sweet potatoes have cancer-preventing properties. High in fiber, sweet potatoes also help to regulate digestion. High vitamin A, C and E content encourages healthy, glowing skin and collagen growth, and gives sweet potatoes their immunity and anti-inflammatory properties. They also have high levels of vitamins B5, B6, thiamin, niacin and riboflavin. Their orange color is proof of the high carotenoid properties.

Sweet potatoes are also a great source of manganese, helping the body to metabolize carbohydrates, which contributes to healthy blood sugar levels.

Among the most exciting scientific study results is that sweet potatoes have a low glycemic index, meaning they release sugar slowly into the bloodstream, making them a perfect food for controlling blood glucose in people with diabetes.

The tradition of serving sweet potatoes on American Thanksgiving tables may make one think that the United States has ownership over the vegetable, but it’s not true. The origin and domestication of the sweet potato is thought to be in either Central America or South America.

Today, the U.S. is the eighth-largest producer in the world. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development, 106.5 million tons of sweet potatoes were produced in the world in 2010.

Sweet potatoes are truly a sustainable product. In South America, the juice of red sweet potatoes is combined with lime juice to make a dye, wherein every shade from pink to black can be obtained.

Every part of the sweet potato plant can be used for animal fodder. Several selections are cultivated in gardens as ornamental plants because of the attractive foliage. And the sweet potato vine is ideal for use in home aquariums, trailing out of the water with its roots submerged, as its rapid growth is fueled by toxic ammonia and nitrates, thereby improving the living conditions for fish.

Researchers at North Carolina State University are breeding sweet potato varieties that would be grown primarily for biofuel production.

Who knows where or when science will find even more uses for the delicious, highly nutritious and sustainable sweet potato?

As the healthful information is revealed in research studies and increasing numbers of consumers learn about the great benefits of making sweet potatoes a part of their year-round diets, it’s no wonder that chefs have turned their attention to the super food. And because they can be used in dishes ranging from appetizers to desserts, sweet potatoes provide an open field for creating delicious recipes.

Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver offers up dozens of comforting dishes that incorporate or feature sweet potatoes. Even his Moroccan lamb stew is accompanied with sweet potatoes, apricots and couscous. The recipe is at www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/lamb-recipes/moroccan-lamb-stew.

Chef Gordon Ramsay likes heart-healthy comfort food, and he uses sweet potatoes’ high nutritional value as motivation. Spiced Pork chops with Spiced Sweet Potatoes are a YouTube favorite at www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPrX2Pr_8HA.

Chef Giada De Laurentiis adds an Italian spin with her Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter, found at www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/sweet-potato-gnocchi-with-maple-cinnamon-sage-brown-butter-recipe.html?oc=linkback. Even her sweet potato fries take on a Mediterranean edge in her Sweet Potato Fries with Basil Salt and Garlic Mayonnaise recipe. But she doesn’t stop at ethnicities. Rather than just kale chips, De Laurentiis likes to combine them with sweet potatoes. The savory kale combined with sweet potatoes makes a perfect match. Find the recipe at www.popsugar.com/food/Baked-Kale-Sweet-Potato-Chips-Recipe-32948565.

Chef Rachael Ray gets tongue-and-cheek with her Orange You Glad It’s Sweet Potato Mash, which she said is “A healthier spin on traditional mashed sweet potatoes.” Combining fruit preserves and fall spices to sweet potato mash gives it an extra kick of flavor. Ray created this recipe as a part of her membership of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. She said that sweet potatoes are the most nutritious vegetable you can buy in the grocery store. Find it at www.rachaelray.com/recipes/orange-you-glad-its-sweet-potato-mash.

It wouldn’t be a sweet potato-chef-recipe story without the grand dame of the South, and leave it to Paula Deen to create the Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie recipe. It’s available at www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/old-fashioned-sweet-potato-pie-recipe.html. The kick of bourbon may be the secret, but it’s likely just her talent for combining flavors that sing harmoniously together.