Aileen Chávez, Sabrina Lamadrid and Gerardo Gutiérrez, students of the Interdisciplinary Center for Health Sciences (CICS), created a cereal from a sweet potato base that fights metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol, so thatPeople who suffer from this disease, such as Berenice, can consume it.
The idea of making a food with this root was generated from a school project in which students had to prepare an innovative product that could contribute to the food of Mexicans.
Gerardo and his companions believe that the products that are currently in the market do not meet the needs of people with conditions such as diabetes, so they decided to focus their project on them.
They ensure that the sweet potato has two main benefits: the first is that it contains complex starches that supply energy throughout the day, that is, they will maintain a stable glycemic index, without feeling hungry.The second advantage is that it contains carbohydrates that will provide glycogen.
Students comment that food has not been exploited as in some parts of Latin America, where its consumption is greater, since it is used to replace the potato, this despite the fact that there are states in the country, such as Puebla, which are great producers.
In addition to containing this tuber, the cereal is enriched with other ingredients, such as oatmeal, which brings to the body protein, carbohydrates, fiber and decreases cholesterol.It also contains milk to provide calcium and natural sweeteners to enhance flavor.
At the beginning of the project, they thought of making an instant oatmeal, because they believe it is a good food to start the day;However, the public did not attract his appearance.
The team devised a way to continue using sweet potatoes as a raw material to create a food.They wanted to integrate the same base they had with oatmeal but in an attractive way.The solution was to make a cereal.“There we encounter another difficulty.We had no idea how to do it, so we seek support with teachers. ”
The first problem was not to have a farm.They looked for costs, but they could not cover them, because their value is approximately 20 thousand pesos, in addition to not considering it a good investment, because they did not see it as a future project, so they decided to make the flakes by hand.
A problem also emerged regarding the raw material of the product: yellow sweet potatoes is a rare vegetable in Mexico City and is only due to seasons, so the team is difficult for the team to get it.
When they finished the cereal they performed a test for the public and noticed that the acceptance was favorable.They even comment that they could not believe that the cereal was a sweet potato, because they are regularly made with flour or wheat and not with a root, hence the Rooty name that means root in English.
After the note was published in Conacyt, the students did not expect their invention to be so successful in the media, because for them it was only a school project, which has motivated them to continue innovating, since they seek to produce the cereal at the levelindustrial.
However, the project is currently in pause, as students were going to expose their idea at the Santa Catarina hospital, but because of the earthquake of last September 19, they could not do it.
Berenice commented that it is good that products designed in diabetics are created, especially if they are "snacks.""When you want to replace one food with another, the taste is what matters most."He believes that it is a good option for those who want to maintain a healthy diet.
The nutritionist and educator on diabetes issues, Angélica Gómez Tovar, of the Mexican Diabetes Association, commented that any person who has metabolic diseases, aboutAll those suffering from diabetes and are controlled, can consume any type of food in a moderate way and explains that, although it is a good product, it is still carbohydrate.
For Dr. Gómez, the advantage of the cereal is that it is made naturally, since commercial brands have artificial dyes and flavorings;However, the caloric level does not change compared to the cereals that exist in the market.
He concluded that he could recommend it within the diet of his patients in a complementary way with other products.
