Sweet Potatoes vs Potatoes: Which Potato is Healthier?

As a Certified Health Coach, the topic of sweet and regular potatoes come up often during my sessions. It seems only yesterday sweet potatoes came in and became the newest health craze. Let’s answer, are sweet potatoes healthier than potatoes?

Sweet potatoes and potatoes are both highly nutritious and offer health benefits. Sweet potatoes has a lower glycemic index and more antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber and beta-carotene. Potatoes provide more potassium, iron, niacin and folate.

In this article, I’ll include a side-by-side nutrient comparison and examine the benefits of each nutrient and why they make potatoes healthy. In addition, I’ll take a look at some healthy ways you can cook either potato.

In addition to coaching clients about them, I’ve purchased, researched and consumed both prior to, during and after writing this article. Potatoes are part of my regular nutrition plan.

Sweet potatoes on the left and white potatoes on the right. — Sweet potatoes on the left and white potatoes on the right

Sweet Potatoes and Potato Nutrition

The following table is a side-by-side comparison of the nutrients:

	Sweet Potato Raw (100 g)	White Potato Raw (100 g)
Calories	77	89
Protein	1.57 g	2.05 g
Carbohydrates	17.5 g	20.1 g
Fiber	3.0 g	2.1 g
Fat	0.05 g	0.09 g
Vitamin A	14,200 IU	2 IU
Beta-carotene	8,510 mcg	1 mcg
Vitamin C	19.2 mg	17.2 mg
Vitamin B6	0.20 mg	0.29 mg
Vitamin B9 (Folate)	11 mcg	15 mcg
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)	0.07 mg	0.08 mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	0.06 mg	0.03 mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)	0.55 mg	1.06 mg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)	0.8 mg	0.2 mg
Magnesium	25 mg	23 mg
Phosphorous	47 mg	57 mg
Potassium	337 mg	425 mg
Iron	0.61 mg	0.81 mg
Copper	0.15 mg	0.11 mg
Calcium	30 mg	12 mg
Zinc	0.3 mg	0.3 mg
Manganese	0.25 mg	0.15 mg

Nutrient Resources ((USDA: Sweet potato, raw, unprepared))¹

Sweet potatoes and white potatoes are similar in calories and carbohydrates. White potatoes provide a good amount of B vitamins and minerals. Sweet potatoes provide a good amount of Vitamin A, Beta-carotene, fiber and Vitamin C.

While sweet potatoes may have a slight nutritional advantage over white potatoes, it’s not significant enough to warrant ditching regular potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants helping to fight damage to the body’s cells caused by free radicals.

White potatoes contain glycoalkaloids. They are compounds which have been shown to possess anticancer effects in studies².

Let’s examine all the health benefits and nutrition potato and sweet potatoes offer.

Doctor Klaper explains how white potatoes provide health benefits.

Sweet Potato and Vitamin A

Beta-carotene is a compound present in sweet potatoes giving it its orange color. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A. As you can see in the table above, they contain 8,510 mcg and white potatoes 1 mcg.

Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant that can help reduce cellular damage by controlling the negative effects of free radicals³.

An increased number of vitamin A has been shown to fight and prevent cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States⁴.

Vitamin A also helps:

Eye health
Cognitive function
Cancer protection
Skin protection

A medium-sized baked sweet potato contains 438% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A. Compare this to a white potato, which contributes 0% of the recommended daily intake.

Vitamin C

Both potatoes provide a good amount of vitamin C which is probably known more for its immune system benefits. High blood levels of vitamin C may be an indication of overall health. It helps more than just the immune system. It helps protect the following:

Cardiovascular disease
Stroke
Eye health
Cancer
Blood pressure
Prevent iron deficiency

A study released in 2012 found vitamin C supplementation reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The researchers noted increased vitamin C intake, supplementation and higher blood levels of vitamin C are associated with lower blood pressure⁵.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap over the past couple of decades. The truth is, carbohydrates have many health benefits and are essential to a healthy diet. If you’re not eating enough carbohydrates, then that’s going to be an issue.

The problem, though, is that most Americans are eating too many unhealthy carbs. An overabundance of unhealthy carbs can also be problematic as it can lead to diabetes⁶.

Unhealthy carbohydrates include the following:

Added sugars.
Refined grains which have been stripped of their fiber, vitamins and minerals.
White flour
White rice
White bread
Pasta
Soda
Pastries
Sweet deserts
Cereal with added sugar.

Refined carbohydrates are digested quickly and have a high GI index. This raises blood sugar and causes spikes. Keep reading the next section to learn more about The GI index.

If you suspect you’re eating too many carbs, here’s some good news, a potato isn’t a refined, unhealthy carbohydrate. In addition, a medium-sized baked sweet potato contains 23.6 grams (0.83 oz) of carbs, while a medium-sized baked white potato contains 36.6 grams (1.29 oz).

A lower volume of carbs can make sweet potatoes a healthy choice for you as they can help you balance out the number of carbs on your plate.

Find out how potato and rice nutritional values compared in my article, Potato vs. Rice Nutrition: Which is Better?

Time Health explains the health benefits of sweet potatoes.

Glycemic Index of Sweet Potato and Potato

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale that measures how fast a particular food raises (or spikes!) your blood sugar levels⁷. As you may know, blood sugar spikes can lead to complications with your heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.

In general, you should try avoiding eating high-GI foods. Foods on the GI scale are categorized as:

Low-GI foods: under 55
Medium-GI foods: 55-70
High-GI foods: over 70

How blood sugars levels are affected:

Foods with a glycemic index over 70 cause a more quicker spike in blood sugar levels.
Foods with a glycemic index 55 to 70 cause a moderate spike in blood sugar levels.
Foods with a glycemic index under 55 cause a slow spike in blood sugar levels.

A boiled sweet potato has a GI of 63, making it a medium-GI food. A white potato has a GI of 78, putting it well above the high-GI food threshold.

If you’re looking to regulate your blood sugar levels, then sweet potatoes are a smarter dietary choice because of their lower GI.

How to Lower the Glycemic Index

To lower the GI even more, baking sweet potatoes results in a higher GI than boiling does because of how the starches gelatinize during cooking.

Boiled sweet potatoes have a GI of 44. Baked sweet potatoes have a GI of 94.
Boiled white potatoes have a GI of 54. Baked white potatoes have a GI of 73.

In addition, consider eating the boiled potato cold than hot. A study published in the Journal of the Diabetic Association found boiled potatoes eaten cold had a GI score of 56. When eaten hot the boiled potato had a GI score of 89⁸.

To achieve the lowest glycemic number possible, eat a cold, boiled sweet potato.

Find out how Russet potatoes compared to red potatoes in my article, Red Potatoes vs Russet Potatoes: The Differences.

Calcium

Sweet potatoes provide 30 grams of calcium. Calcium is important for the heart and blood pressure. Harvard Health reports calcium helps maintain blood pressure by helping in the controlling of the relaxing and tightening of blood vessels⁹.

Calcium also helps the following:

Helps muscles function properly.
Improve nerve function.
Build and maintain strong bones.

Dietary Fiber

Sweet potatoes provide 3.0 grams compared to 2.1 for white potatoes. Many of the carbohydrates in potatoes are mostly fiber and starch. These types of carbs help you stay healthy and lean. The fiber doesn’t get digested.

Instead, it gets fermented in the gut and produces short chain fatty acids¹⁰.

Short chain fatty acids and fiber may help with the following:

Helps you feel full longer.
Stimulate blood flow to the colon.
Increases nutrient absorption.
Decrease inflammation.
Decrease the risk of colon cancer.
Fuels healthy gut bacteria.

Find out how Russet compared to Yukon Gold Potatoes in my latest article, Yukon Gold Potato vs Russet Potato: What’s The Difference?

sweet potatoes on a pan — Sweet potatoes on a frying pan

Find out how purple sweet potatoes and purple yams compared to each other in my article, Purple Sweet Potato vs Purple Yam: What’s The Difference?

White Potatoes and B Vitamins

The B vitamins provided by white potatoes include the following:

B1 (thiamin)
B2 (riboflavin)
B3 (niacin)
B5
B6
B9 (folate)
B12

B vitamins help support the following:

Energy levels.
Cardiovascular disease.
Brain function.
Digestion.
Nerve function.
Red blood cells.

A lack of B vitamins has been associated with oxidative stress and neural inflammation. In a study released in 2018 32 healthy adults were given B vitamin supplementation for six months.

The results indicated preliminary evidence B vitamin supplementation reduced oxidative stress and inflammation¹¹.

Find out how potatoes compared to bread for nutrients and benefits in my article, Potatoes vs Bread: Which is Better? A Complete Comparison.

Potassium

White potatoes provide 425 mg of potassium. It helps the body get rid of excess sodium reducing fluid build-up. These help keep systolic and diastolic blood pressure lower ((American Heart Association: How Potassium Can Help Control High Blood Pressure)).

According to Harvard Health, a number of studies have shown a connection between low potassium levels and high blood pressure¹².

The more potassium, the more sodium your body will lose. Consuming too much sodium or not enough potassium throws off the delicate balance the kidneys need to remove the excess water¹³.

Find out how white sweet potatoes compared to sweet potatoes in my article, Sweet Potatoes vs White Sweet Potato: What’s The Difference?

Dr. Nandi explains how potatoes provide health benefits.

Weight Loss

If you’re trying to lose some inches from the waist line, it isn’t always the easiest task. Let’s take a close look at which potato is better for weight loss.

Sweet potatoes are better for weight loss than white potatoes due to its slightly fewer calories and carbohydrates. They also contain more fiber which has been shown to help increase fullness and slow down digestion.

Healthiest Ways To Cook Sweet Potatoes and Potatoes

It is important to keep in mind that both sweet potatoes and white potatoes can be deeply unhealthy if you choose to deep fry them. They’re also not going to be very healthful if you’re going to mash them with heavy cream and loads of butter.

In other words, there’s no use in choosing the healthier potato if you’re going to cook it in an unhealthy way. The method of preparation is almost as important as the nutritional composition of the ingredients you use.

Here are a few ways you can cook a potato to ensure you’re getting the most of the health benefits, while also ensuring the cooked potato is tasty enough:

Keep the skin on for added fiber.
Boil, steam, or microwave them for a lesser impact on blood sugar.
Bake potatoes with seasonings and just a little bit of olive oil.
Top them with healthy toppings like lean protein (beans, white-meat poultry without the skin) and herbs instead of loading them up with cream, bacon or butter.
When making fries, bake them instead of frying them in unhealthy oil.
Don’t add cheese to the fries.

Half of the fiber from potatoes is in the skin. Consider leaving the skin on and actually eating it. Prior to cooking it, make sure to wash the skin well to remove any dirt.

If you follow these directions, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to fit sweet or white potatoes into a healthy diet. Just remember being mindful of your portions, as over-eating can result in other health risks.

The video explains how to make healthy mashed sweet potatoes.

If you’re interested about how sweet potatoes held up against pumpkin for health and nutrition, check out my article, Pumpkin vs Sweet Potato: A Complete Comparison.

Find out if Russet potatoes and Idaho potatoes are the same in my article, Idaho vs Russet Potatoes – Are They The Same? Let’s Compare

Healthy mashed white potatoes. — Healthy mashed white potatoes

If you have any questions about this article don’t hesitate to email us. You can find an email on our contact page.