3 min read
Key Points
Sweet potatoes are often thought to be healthier than regular potatoes, but that’s not necessarily true.Sweet potatoes offer vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber, while regular potatoes provide potassium and are a good source of resistant starch.Additionally, both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes offer a similar balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, and both have about the same calories, so swapping sweet potatoes for regular potatoes won’t necessarily help with weight loss.
Whoever’s doing the PR for sweet potatoes deserves a pay raise. These bright orange tubers have surpassed their white potato cousins in the health food circle, joining the elevated ranks of chicken breast, quinoa, and broccoli on superfood lists and the menus of “health-conscious” fast-casual restaurants.
But are they actually that much healthier than regular potatoes? Once you look past that brilliant color and good publicity, do they live up to the hype? Or is it possible they’re not that much healthier, and we’ve been swapping sweet potato fries for regular French fries for no reason?
As it turns out, while sweet potatoes offer many healthful vitamins and antioxidants, as well as good fiber, they’re not necessarily that much healthier than regular potatoes, which contain other healthy vitamins as well as gut-healthy resistant starch. To uncover these findings and learn more, we consulted two nutritionists and the USDA’s official analysis. Here’s what we learned.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Sweet Potatoes?
Sweet potatoes have a stunning nutritional resume. According to Kim Yawitz, RD, they’re “incredibly rich in antioxidants,” as well as a “great source of vitamin A and vitamin C.” In fact, a 3.5-ounce serving of sweet potato provides over 100% of our daily recommended vitamin A intake: a huge benefit since, according to Yawitz, a diet plentiful in vitamin A can help to protect our eyes from macular degeneration and keep them strong later in life. In addition, the plentiful antioxidants in sweet potatoes can help protect us from many problems, including “liver damage, memory loss, cognitive decline, high cholesterol, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.”
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Sweet potatoes also contain twice the fiber as regular white potatoes (3 grams per 100-gram serving), which means they release energy more slowly once eaten. This makes them a better choice for anyone trying to regulate their blood sugar—including diabetics, as well as anyone who wants to avoid a post-lunch slump. There’s no denying it: sweet potatoes have a lot going for them.
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What About Regular Potatoes?
In the face of the sweet potatoes’ flashy nutrition, regular potatoes might seem to pale in comparison. But while they’re outclassed in certain categories, they definitely take the prize in others.
According to Ally Mast, R.D.N., regular potatoes are a “good source of potassium,” a mineral which may help lower our blood pressure and risk of stroke. They’re also full of vitamin C, and they provide “almost half of [our recommended daily] intake for vitamin B6.” In addition, Yawitz shares that they’re a “good source of resistant starch,” which “feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut and can help stabilize blood sugar.”
But Aren’t Regular Potatoes More Carby & Higher In Calories?
We might assume regular potatoes contain more carbs and calories than sweet potatoes—but that’s not true. Yawitz shares that the breakdown of carbs, proteins, and fats is nearly identical between regular potatoes and sweet potatoes: “2 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrate, and less than 1 gram of fat” per 100-gram serving of either. And when it comes to calories, sweet potatoes are only 2 calories lower per serving. So if you’re trying to lose weight, swapping in sweet potatoes isn’t exactly a winning strategy.
The Bottom Line
Sweet potatoes offer many nutritional benefits, but they’re not necessarily healthier than regular potatoes. They might be a better option for people with certain conditions, such as diabetes or Crohn’s disease (which increases your risk of vitamin A deficiency), but in general, both can be part of a healthy diet.
In other words, don’t feel obligated to eat only sweet potatoes if you’re really craving just a straight-up baked potato. And whichever potato you choose, keep in mind that how you prepare it also affects its nutritional value. Any potato’s nutritional value will change completely if you throw it in the deep-fryer and shower it with salt.
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