Are Sweet Potatoes Healthier Than Regular Potatoes?

Of all the essential carbs, potatoes might just be the most impressive. Not only are they delicious, but they’re also wonderfully versatile: You can eat them baked, fried, boiled, mashed, roasted, or pureed; you can season them with everything from butter to spices to cheese. They are also diverse—there are literally thousands of varieties.

All types of potatoes are also, of course, immensely nutritious. They’re filled with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and immune-strengthening properties. “The reality is that regular and sweet potatoes are remarkably similar nutritionally. The only nutrient sweet potatoes are significantly higher in is vitamin A,” explains Bonnie Johnson, a registered dietitian who leads the nutrition programs at Potatoes USA.

Sweet potatoes vs. regular potatoes

While all types of potatoes are definitely nutritious—you can’t make a wrong choice!—sweet potatoes do have an abundance of cancer-fighting beta carotene and vitamin A. They may also have a lower glycemic index (GI) than ordinary potatoes, which means they release sugars more slowly into the bloodstream, helping the body to avoid glycemic spikes and crashes.

However, it is important to note that how a sweet potato is prepared can significantly impact the glycemic index (GI). “An examination of various GIs derived from studies on sweet potatoes indicates a GI that is similar to, and in some cases exceeds, that of regular potato varieties. For example, a baked skin-on Clarendon sweet potato has a GI of 83, and a baked, skin-on Yukon Gold potato has a GI of 81,” Johnson notes.

As we all know, glucose response is complicated—it varies from person to person and even within a single food. “For example, a study of 1,002 people found a 68% variation in their glucose response to identical test meals,” Johnson notes, adding that this variation is influenced by several factors, with the second-highest impact coming from genetics. “Also, GI has several limitations, including the fact that it’s calculated based on foods eaten in isolation, which is not how people eat in the real world. Practical approaches for blood sugar management include emphasizing whole foods, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, pairing carbs with protein and good fat, increasing fiber, and limiting added sugar.”

Of course, many people have a preference when it comes to taste: Some prefer sweet potatoes for their sweetness—and, let’s not forget that they are also aesthetically pleasing thanks to the bright color of their flesh, which is typically orange but can also range from purple to creamy white, depending on the variety. Regular potatoes usually have a more neutral taste and are most generally white or yellow—though some non-sweet potato varieties also have blue or purple flesh.

But as mentioned, you cannot make a wrong choice when it comes to which potato to eat and it is always important to eat a variety of different vegetable for optimum health. “We shouldn’t suggest that any vegetable is healthier than another because it could deter some from eating them altogether and exacerbate a public health problem. I think we can all agree that Americans need to eat more vegetables not less,” stresses Johnson.

All potatoes are healthy

Like regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Both regular and sweet potatoes contain a type of carbohydrate that is digested more slowly, helping to keep blood sugar levels stable.

“Regular and sweet potatoes are comprised of the same types of starch–amylose and amylopectin–in similar percentages,” notes Johnson. “However, sweet potatoes contain more sugar than potatoes. According to Food Data Central, 100g of raw potato with skin contains 0.82g sugar, and 100g of raw sweet potato with skin contains 4.18g sugar.”

What’s more, resistant starch, which is found naturally in potatoes, is a type of carbohydrate that’s resistant to digestion by human digestive enzymes, similar to dietary fiber. Emerging research suggests that resistant starch may help us feel full, favorably impact blood lipid and blood glucose levels, and increase good bacteria in the colon. “According to a 2020 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Nutrition Dietetics, 100g of a baked russet potato contains 3.1g of resistant starch compared to 0.5g of resistant starch in the same amount of baked sweet potato,” Johnson says.

The potassium in regular potatoes

Regular potatoes are a rich source of potassium, and actually outshine sweet potatoes when it comes to this important mineral. “Regular potatoes provide 19-20% of the total potassium in the entire American diet, so even the implication that people should limit regular potatoes due to GI (a measure not found to impact health outcomes) could exacerbate a clear problem of potassium underconsumption (less than 3% of us are getting enough)–which of course could lead to higher blood pressure, risk of stroke and more,” Johnson notes.

Nutritional properties of sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a quintessential fall and winter food, but thanks to their numerous health benefits, like regular potatoes, they’re worth eating all year long.

Native to South America, sweet potatoes are mainly grown in China and Japan. They are also not technically “potatoes” or tubers, but rather tuberous root vegetables. You probably think of them mostly as being orange, but they can have yellow, purple, or white flesh, depending on the variety. The notable nutritional properties of sweet potatoes include:

• Carbohydrates: They are rich in complex carbohydrates, which provide lasting energy. 100 grams (about ⅔ cups) of raw sweet potato contains about 20 grams of carbohydrates.
• Fiber: Sweet potato is a good source of dietary fiber, which helps improve digestion and prevent constipation. 100 grams of sweet potato contains about 3 grams of fiber.
• Vitamin A: Sweet potatoes are particularly rich in vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that helps protect the skin, eyesight, and immune system. 100 grams of sweet potato can provide up to 100 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin A.
• Other vitamins and minerals: In addition to vitamin A, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin C and B6, as well as manganese, potassium, and iron.

The health benefits of sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes offer several health benefits thanks to their nutritional composition. A medium-sized sweet potato has around 100 calories, and about 4 grams of fiber which can help prolong satiety and avoid glycemic spikes and the sudden feeling of hunger. Other health benefits of sweet potatoes include:

• Eye health: Thanks to their beta-carotene content, sweet potatoes are a powerful ally for visual health. Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, which is essential for proper retinal function and for preventing eye diseases such as macular degeneration.
• Immune system: The abundance of vitamin C and beta-carotene in sweet potatoes plays an important role in strengthening the immune system and helping the body better defend itself against infection and disease.
• Cardiovascular health: Sweet potatoes are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure and helps reduce the risk of heart disease. In addition, the fiber helps keep blood cholesterol levels low.

When not to eat sweet potatoes?

Any healthy food can be made less healthy when eaten with a ton of butter, cheese, or bacon—and, it is tempting to add those to any kind of potato, including sweet. But when prepared healthfully and consumed as part of a well-rounded diet, both sweet and regular potatoes shouldn’t be skipped unless the following contraindications and potential side effects are an issue:

• Eating sweet potatoes could have troublesome effects for people suffering from gastrointestinal disorders, due to the large presence of fiber
• Could interfere with the action of diuretic drugs
• Could cause problems in people predisposed to the development of kidney stones, thanks to high levels of oxalic acid

How to cook sweet potatoes

That said, the best way to cook sweet potatoes is simply any way you like them best—after all, if you don’t eat them, you won’t get their nutritional benefits! Some evidence suggests that boiling sweet potatoes retains more of their antioxidants than roasting, steaming, and baking; it also makes their nutrients more bioavailable and has the biggest benefits when it comes to preventing glycemic spikes. You may also want eat the skin; it has ten times the antioxidants as the flesh.

Baked sweet potato fries recipe

According to studies, deep frying sweet potatoes can lead to the formation of acrylamide, which may be carcinogenic. So, as an alternative to regular fries, try making these baked sweet potato fries, which retain a satisfying crispy texture. Here’s how to make them:

• sweet potato
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• mayonnaise
• paprika
• black pepper
• garlic powder
• rosemary
• breadcrumbs

1. Cut the potatoes into strips, leaving skin on, and transfer them to a bowl
2. Season them with all the ingredients and mix well
3. Spread on baking sheet and bake at 200° for 30 minutes in a ventilated oven, flipping halfway through
4. Remove from oven and salt to taste while hot