Sweet Potatoes Vs White Potatoes: Which Is Better?

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Potatoes are one of the most common vegetables that you can find in any part of the world. They are effective sources of fibre and nutrients.

Be it white potatoes or the sweet potatoes, when eaten as a part of a balanced diet, they provide a rich source of nutrients also contributing to the deliciousness of any meal.

Both sweet and white potatoes have their origin from Central and South America and have spread throughout the world from there.

Sweet and white potatoes are treated completely unrelated botanically. Potatoes, also called Solanum tuberosum, biologically belong to the Solanaceae family, related to tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.

Plants in this family produce a poisonous chemical called solanine. It is advised by the medical practitioners to not eat the leaves of this group and also potatoes which have gone green.

But unlike white potatoes, you can eat the leaves of sweet potatoes and it is very healthy and nutritious.

Which Is Better White Potato Or Sweet Potato?

There's always a nutritionally based debate between sweet and white potatoes. Worried if the carbohydrates in sweet and white potatoes will make you gain weight?

Well, this is a long-standing myth people believe in, but it is certainly not true. Both white potatoes and sweet potatoes are equally healthy to consume.

In fact, read the following points and surprise yourself with the nutrient-rich potato's contribution to your body's health. After you are done reading, make an informed decision for yourself.

The carbohydrates in sweet and white potatoes are usually starch and fiber, which will make you stay lean and healthy.

Potatoes contain useful resistant starch, which is unlike fiber that is hard to digest. Resistant starch generates short-chain fatty acid production, which is extremely useful to the human body.

Sweet potatoes always win the debate, since they are the extremely needed nutrient for the human body. Sweet potatoes are a rich source of vitamin A.
They also have more vitamin C, more fibre, fewer calories, and comparatively fewer carbs than white potatoes.

Sweet potatoes contain sugar. They contain more sugar content than the regular potatoes. However, if regular potatoes are stored in cold storage, over time their starch content slowly transforms into glucose and fructose.

Most of the tubers produce resistant starch. Compared to sweet potatoes, regular potatoes have more resistant starch. Resistant starch generates short-chain fatty acid, which has the following benefits:

• Short chain fatty acids act as a fuel for the healthy gut bacteria.
• They stimulate blood flow.
• They increase nutrient circulation and mineral absorption.
• Prevent the absorption of toxins.
• Decrease the risk of colon cancer.
• Keep you stronger and healthier.

Nutritionist are also worried about the GI and GL index of sweet and white potatoes. GI (Glycemic Index) is a measure of the time span a food gets converted to glucose.

And GL (Glycemic load) is the measure of a quantity of food, which gets converted to glucose. Thus, eaters are told to avoid foods with a high GI and/or GL.

Many people thus choose sweet potatoes over regular potatoes, fearing that regular potatoes may shoot their blood sugar level high.

Interestingly, an extract from white sweet potatoes known as caiapo is a promising type-2 diabetes treatment and has been shown to improve many metabolic diseases.

In fact, the Japanese commonly eat white sweet potatoes raw as a treatment for anaemia, hypertension, and diabetes. White potatoes do often score higher on the glycemic index and glycemic load tests than sweet potatoes.

The vitamins and mineral content of what the sweet and white potatoes provide is roughly the same. Orange sweet potatoes are vitamin A superstars. Along with other colourful fruits and vegetables such as leafy greens, orange sweet potatoes contain high levels of the carotenoid form of vitamin A.

Improving access to sweet potatoes and breeding vitamin A-rich sweet potatoes are thus important nutritional strategies for preventing vitamin A deficiency.

Unlike sweet potatoes, cooking white potatoes reduces anti-nutrients. Allergies are lesser in sweet potato comparatively. Rather than eating raw potatoes eat cooked potatoes. Baking, boiling or roasting them is far better than frying them.

When we eat fried potatoes, the starch in it may be harmful. When eaten raw, the whole potato are slow-burning and are nutrient dense.

It's always better to opt for a salad instead of mashed potato flakes. Both potatoes and sweet potatoes contain vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Benefits Of Eating Both White And Sweet Potatoes:

Potatoes are always considered fattening and unhealthy, it depends on the way you cook and consume a potato. It can have so many health benefits for your body.

Here are some of the most important benefits of consuming both types of potatoes.

1) Rich mineral and nutrient supply to your body.
2) Ensures good carbs are entering into your body.
3) Keeps you steady and fit throughout the day, since it burns the energy slowly.
4) Rich source of Vitamin A, which is indeed necessary for the human body.
5) Keeps you healthy and fit.

Now that you have a better understanding of potatoes, we hope you can include this simple ingredient to your diets and stop worrying about gaining weight.

Both the sweet and white potatoes are great for consumption, but based on the above facts, you can choose your favourite. So, which one would you pick? Let us know in the comments section below.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.