Nigeria writer Chinua Achebe describe yam as ‘’di king of crops’’.

Like cassava and sweet potato, yam na tuber and na popular food for many African kontris.

Na tropical root wey dey rich in vitamins and minerals. E dey white, yellow or pink flesh.

You fit cook am just like sweet potatoes or potatoes, although dem no belong to di same family.

Yam get plenty varieties oh, but na only few you fit chop.

Yam dey soft and e dey floury at times, dis food get better nutritional qualities and e dey sweet according to sabi pipo.

Nutritional properties of yams

Di nutritional qualities wey yam get mean say e dey very good for di health and well-being.

Di tuber get important nutrients wey dey contribute to balanced diet.

Yams na excellent source of carbohydrates, e dey provide essential energy for di body to function well-well.

Dietician-nutritionist Marion Ezzedine wey dey run one dietetic practice for Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire economic capital torchlight dis benefits.

She tok about di nutritional values of dis food: "Yam na excellent source of fiber (e get 4% vs 2% wey potatoes get and 1% wey rice get), vitamins (notably B1, B6, C), minerals like copper, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and antioxidants.

Na also interesting source of energy sake of di high carbohydrate content wey be (24%). Yam dey provide an average of 115 kcal per 100 g (by comparison, 100 g rice dey provide 145 kcal and 100 g boiled potato dey provide 80 kcal)", na so di sabi pesin tok.

Gluten-free, yams na di ideal alternative for pipo wey dey suffer from gluten sensitivity or intolerance.

Yam na popular nutritious food for Africa. Na traditional food for Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

Boiled, fried or pounded wit sauce - for Abidjan pipo like to cook am di way dem like am.

"I like yam; I dey eat am well-well for my village. Yam get one particular taste. Some pipo feel say e sweet, while odas feel say e bitter. So everybody get dia own taste, dia own preference, depending on wetin you wan cook with am. I like to boil or fry am. On di oda hand, I no be big fan of foutu, I no like am too much, I like am boiled and fried, and no so love am", na so Maxime, one yam lover tok.

"I love yams, especially kponan yams. I dey eat am once or twice a week, and e dey go well wit gouagouassou sauce, wey dey sweet well-well e (laugh). Cooking yam and receiving you wit gouagouassou sauce, I feel say e dey symbolic, e go make you grow," na so René, tok as im dey imagine di food.

E sweet pass potatoes, you fit use yams for sweet dishes.

Based on dia high fiber content, yams dey improve intestinal transit and help digestion. Fiber also dey help regulate fullness and maintain weight balance.

Thanks to dia rich nutritional content, including carbohydrates and minerals, yam na ideal substitute for potatoes or rice for diet.

You fit enjoy am wit different recipes, from one kontri to another.

Blood sugar regulation

Yam get a lower glycemic index dan oda carbohydrate sources, e mean say if you eat am regularly e go get long term effect on your blood sugar levels.

Wit ova 70% starch content, yam dey help lower glycemic index, reduce diabetes and slow digestion. Based on di result, sabi pipo recommend yam for certain types of pipo, like those wit diabetics, children and pregnant women, na wetin dietician-nutritionist Marion Ezzedine tok.

"Yam glycemic load dey moderate, so pipo wey get diabetics fit eat am occasionally. No issues for pregnant women or children. Pipo wey dey suffer from kidney failure suppose reduce dia yam consumption, sake of di high mineral content. Di method of cooking fit change di nutritional value of yams. E better to eat am boiled dan fried".

E dey strengthen immune system & get anti-inflammatory effects

Di vitamin C wey dey inside yams get antioxidant properties, e dey help strengthen di immune system and help prevent disease and certain infections.

Yam also get anti-inflammatory properties wey dey help reduce inflammation for body and relieve pain wey dey associated wit conditions like arthritis.

As well as to help prevent liver and kidney disease, e get nutrients wey dey active against memory disorders, diabetes and blood pressure.

Thanks to di potassium content, yam also dey useful to maintain a healthy nervous system, muscle function and to regulate blood pressure.

Effective for menopause

Yam get a high content of diosgenin, e dey help relieve di signs of menopause.

Diosgenin, dey di roots, na something wey dey help stimulate progesterone and estrogen.

Menopausal disorders dey partly linked to reduction for dis hormones. In particular, di drop in progesterone levels fit lead to sleep disorders, frequent sugar cravings and water retention problems.

To help women feel better, sabi pipo sometimes dey advice dem to take chemical progesterone, but dis solution get side effect like acne and weight gain.

Yam na natural alternative to fight hormonal imbalances, relieve menopause-related disorders and enable women to rediscover great sense of well-being.

Di many therapeutic and nutritional values fit different slightly depending on di variety of yam and di cooking method you use.

As we don see, yams na ogbonge example of a balanced, healthy diet. In addition to di unique flavor, dis root crop get a wide range of health benefits.