No, that’s not a yam. This is a yam.
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They look like Oka, or maybe Mashua.
I want to try growing mashua, mostly for its testosterone blocking effects when eaten.
Going wildly off-topic and risking becoming too personal, may I ask why you would want to block the effects of testosterone?
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Transgender issues and I can’t think clearly when I have too much testosterone in my system. The two may be connected but I don’t have solid evidence to prove it.
There are testosterone blockers available on prescription, but I would need to have monthly liver function tests and I have syringe phobia.
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Many years ago, I worked on art for a Nigerian indie movie, all via email. My client’s English was spotty at best, so at one point, I asked a Nigerian friend of mine to translate an email (my contract summary) so that they could read it. I got back an excited email that said, in all caps, “DO YOU EAT YAMS??”
My Nigerian friend explained that yams are so important to Nigerians that they call other Nigerians “yam eaters” and talk about their favorite yam recipes the way Americans swap casseroles.
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That’s another reason I’m looking forward to this new trend of implantable chips that can track levels of damn near anything in your body. If only I could be confident they would feature a logging system that lets me keep control of my own body’s data… 
Medication via food seems like a good temporary solution. I also tried that. I follow a (loose) paleo diet and am afraid I don’t get enough iodine in (no breads and overly salty manufactured things with added iodine), my doctor at the time outright dismissed the possibility of a deficit because everybody gets enough iodine. Sales for iodine supplements were recently blocked due to the Fukoshima scare (eating a lot of iodine prevents your body from taking up radiation-contaminated iodine I believe). So long story short, I always make sure to buy iodized salt, use plenty of it and am still on the look-out for a good way to get some seaweed in to my diet. I should also look into getting a test done on my levels…
Are those ocas?
Since some vegetables are toxic if not cooked correctly, this is actually correct.
Yams are safe enough but cassava contains cyanide and other toxins and if not properly cooked can cause serious illness. Unfortunately the most toxic cassava is also the most pest resistant, so choosing what to grow is a balancing act which ensures toxic varieties continue to be grown.
Not knowing your yams from your cassava or your breadfruit could be a serious problem.
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dilutes it, and ensures your thyroid isn’t iodine deficient and so likely to seize on some passing radioactive iodine molecules.
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Humph.
A problem shared by half the human race.
They are in fact oca (grown as ‘yams’ in NZ).
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Hey, you’re eating paleo right? Then you ought to get enough iodine from eating the thyroids of the animals you’re killing.
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You’re right, I should be eating more organ meats, however I don’t know if beef thyroid is a option at my local butchers 
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Apparently cod is a good source of iodine. But seaweed is like off the charts compared with most foods.
Oh, and my local army surplus store still has about 3 shipping pallet cubes of iodine pills they bought the day after Fukushima breached. But your mileage may vary, depending on how much of a paranoid nut your local army surplus store manager is. They’re pretty reliably paranoid, but some more than others.
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