NUTRIENTS, CARBOHYDRATE TYPES & PREPARATION TIPS

 

 

The internet is filled with expert fiercely defending their position as pro or against potatoes as healthy food. Some say, “Don’t eat potatoes; they are full of starch”. Others say sweet potatoes should be eaten every day and are the ultimate superfood. Who is right?

The discussion about which type of potato is the healthiest has been going on for a long time. And let’s face it, it will probably continue for decades to come.

In this guide, you will learn more about regular white potatoes and sweet potatoes and why you can easily include both in your diet.

 

Potatoes are not all the same

Potatoes and sweet potatoes might share the same name but are entirely unrelated. Regular white potato is in the family called “Solanaceae”, related to tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, and there are 4000 known varieties of potatoes. Sweet potato is in the family called “Convolvulaceae”, related to morning glory, vines, shrubs, and herbs. There are as many as 5000 known varieties around the world. Both the regular potato and the sweet potato are initially from South America. They have since spread out to the rest of the world.

Look at the farmer’s market or in the supermarket. You will be able to find regular potatoes in shades of brown, yellow, red, with white or yellow flesh. Sweet potatoes typically have brown skin, which can also be orange, purple, yellow, or red.

 

 

The carbohydrate dilemma

Many people know that potatoes and sweet potatoes contain carbohydrates — some would even say a lot.

But under the carbohydrate name we find different types found in food: sugars, starches and fibre. Sugars are easy to digest and give you instant energy, starches are more complex to digest so release energy slowly, and fibre feed the gut microbiome and helps regulating digestion. We need all 3 of them, in different proportion, for different activities.

 

Nutrient content

Sweet potato nutrition facts per 100gr:

~86kcal

~1.6gr protein

~20.1gr carbohydrates

~4.2gr sugar

~3gr fibre

~0.1gr fat

~100% of your daily vitamin A intake.

Potato nutrition facts per 100gr

~87kcal

~1.9gr protein

~20.1gr carbohydrates

~0.9gr sugar

~1.8gr fibre

~0.1gr fat

~0.1% of your daily vitamin A intake

When comparing potatoes and sweet potatoes, you can see that almost all the nutritional information is pretty close, the only remarkable difference is the vitamin A intake.  They both have relatively low amounts of vitamins and minerals.

 

The glycaemic index

Let’s check out another exciting indicator. The Glycemic Index (GI) measures how quickly a food converts to glucose. Foods with a GI of 70 or higher cause a more rapid increase in blood sugar, and a medium GI would be 56-69 and a low GI of 55 or less.

Interestingly, the cooking method of potatoes and sweet potatoes makes a big GI difference. For example, a boiled sweet potato has a low GI of 41-50, and roasting or baking will increase the score to 79-94. A boiled regular potato has a GI of 80-89. In contrast, baking or roasting increases the score to 111—the typical potato scores more due to its higher starch content.

If you put your potatoes in the fridge (you could also then reheat them if you wish), the GI goes even further down by 40%. Impressing, isn’t it? This is because the cold temperature increases resistant starch content by 3 times, feeding the gut microbiome.

So, if you are concerned about the impact of potatoes on your blood sugar, always choose to boil over any other cooking style.

 

The secret is how you prepare potatoes

Potatoes and sweet potatoes are highly nutritious, but unfortunately, they are often “made” unhealthy. For example, potatoes get turned into French fries. They can be mashed and mixed with butter and cream and baked while topped with a variety of high-calorie ingredients. Sweet potato is often made into a pie or combined with sugar and marshmallows, for example.

Instead, prepare regular and sweet potatoes by boiling, steaming, or baking them, rather than frying or roasting them and leaving the skin on for more fibre. Then serve them with fresh herbs or spices instead of cheese, butter, or cream. Also let them cool down in the fridge before consuming them hot or cold, for the lowest GI score.

 

The verdict

After talking so much about the spuds, here my main 4 considerations that I would like you to take away from this blog:

1. Both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes give you energy, fill you up, and therefore leave you satiated.

2. Eating a sweet potato will often satisfy sugar cravings, especially if you bake it.

3. Consuming potatoes and sweet potatoes that have been chilled after cooking, will provide you with fibre which promote optimal gut health.

4. Sweet potatoes, especially the red and purple ones, are rich in antioxidants which help fight cell damage in your body.

Let’s not demonize foods, particularly one that came from the earth and not created in a lab. Instead of going for the ‘same old, same old’ white stuff, try to explore new types of potatoes and sweet potatoes that are available. Next time you’re at the farmers market, look for unusual and colourful new varieties and try them out.