Potato, potato, potato!
When it comes to fiber, two of the best sources are sweet potatoes and regular or white potatoes. Both are also quite nutritious, but one of these is better when it comes to giving more benefits to our health.
So, which should you go for? Here are the comparisons between these two spuds to help you pick the better choice:
Fiber and Other Nutrients
Fiber is good for the digestive health, keeping your bowel movements regular, and can even prevent colorectal cancer. Fiber is also a nutrient essential for those on a diet as it can leave you feeling full for a longer time. Both are rich in fiber, along with other nutrients, but the winner is clear here:
- White potatoes have 3g of fiber, while sweet potatoes have 4g.
- Potatoes have 3g of protein vs. 2g in sweet potatoes.
- Both have the same amount of vitamin B6 (0.3 mg), but sweet potatoes beat regular white potatoes when it comes to vitamins A (22,000 IU vs. 14 IU) and C (22 mg vs. 17.4 mg).
- Sweet potatoes also beat potatoes when it comes to calcium and magnesium content, but potatoes win with their high potassium content (750 mg vs. 542 mg).
Both have no fat content, but it’s clear that sweet potatoes are superior particularly when it comes to vitamin A. Potatoes, however, contain iron, while sweet potatoes don’t.
Calories and Other Negatives
When it comes to calorie content, potatoes have more calories with 130 versus sweet potatoes’ 90. The carbohydrates in potatoes are also higher with 29 grams, while sweet potatoes have 24 grams. However, when it comes to sugar, sweet potatoes – since they are sweet – have more sugar with seven grams, while potatoes only have two grams.
Antinutrients
If you haven’t heard about antinutrients, these are substances that can interfere with absorption of nutrients and they can also be toxic to the body. This may sound terrifying, but antinutrients are not that scary.
Both potatoes and sweet potatoes have antinutrients, just like most plant foods, to protect them against environmental threats, such as diseases and pests. When cooking potatoes, note that the green bits are poisonous, so cut them off first. Sweet potatoes also have antinutrients, but these can be reduced by cooking them.
Both spuds are nutritious, but most health experts agree that sweet potatoes win this battle. They have 400% of vitamin A RDA, more vitamin C, more fiber, and fewer calories than regular potatoes. They also have fewer amounts of carbs even though they have more sugar. But this doesn’t mean you should shun white potatoes. They are less expensive and are extremely versatile in cooking.