My Dog & Japanese Yams

Recently I discovered Japanese yams in a rather unusual way. After returning from vacation, my dog Dexter needed to see the vet for a paw that was bothering him. The vet prescribed antibiotics and told me to take the powder out of the capsules and mix it with baby food. I decided I'd make my own baby food by baking and mashing sweet potatoes, rather than pay extra for jars of baby food. The garnet yams I usually buy were skinny and didn't look very good, so I decided to try Japanese Yams, which looked the same to me.

After baking & cooling, I removed the peel and lo and behold! they were a light green color inside! Amazing how you react when you're expecting one thing (orange inside) and you get something totally different (green inside).

Let's just say, my kids were completely turned off and wouldn't try the yams, but I was brave enough. Turns out they're even sweeter than American yams and just as rich in nutrients: an excellent source of Vitamins A & C, a good source of fiber and potassium and low in fat. All in all, a great "food find" and just for the record, my dog LOVES Japanese yams mixed with antibiotics!

I hope my next food find will be better received by my kids, not my dog. Sigh.