Hurricane Igor didn't do as much damage as was initially expected last month, but it did manage to ruin farmers' crops. Local farmers told Body & Soul much of what they would have been looking to reap now was affected by the storm.

Tubers held up pretty well, as they grow underground. So sweet potatoes are a good choice for shopping lists this week. Americans often call them yams, but yams are from a different family of root vegetables. They are dry and have an earthy taste while sweet potatoes are moist and, as the name suggests, have a sweet taste. Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and especially helpful to smokers and those exposed to their smoke.

If you are buying locally-grown, you can wash the vegetables thoroughly and eat the skin along with the flesh.

In other jurisdictions the vegetables are often treated with a wax to make them more eye-pleasing.

Sweet Potatoes

Scientific name: ipomoea batatas

Family of: convolvulaceae

Related to: morning glory

Grown: in Bermuda

Vitamin content: An excellent source of vitamin A, a very good source of vitamin C and a good source of B6 -pyridoxine

Mineral content: A very good source of manganese and a good source of copper, potassium and iron

Dietary Fibre: A very good source with about 3.14 grams in one cup of baked potato

Omega 3 fatty acids: none

Calories: One cup of the cooked vegetable has 95.39 calories

Good for: Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A. Their deep orange color is derived from beta-carotene a precursor to vitamin A. It's been shown that smoking causes vitamin A deficiency, so it is particularly important for smokers and those exposed to second-hand smoke to have a diet rich in vitamin A to counter the effects of smoking.

Sweet potatoes have been found to have unique proteins that have significant antioxidant capacities. We can expect researchers to reveal exactly what each of them does in the coming years.

Vitamin B6 is needed to convert the amino acid homocysteine to other useful molecules. Elevated homocysteine levels in the blood are linked to heart attack and stroke. Sweet potatoes are a good source of the vitamin and thus may help protect you from stroke and heart attack.

How to judge ripeness: It is best to choose specimens that are firm with no cracks or bruises.

Avoid refrigerating them as this alters their taste. Store the fresh roots in a cool dark, well-ventilated place. Sweet potatoes can be kept for a few weeks but once cut should be cooked as the flesh starts to oxidise on contact with air.