Why sweet potatoes are better than white

Potatoes are rich in potassium, delivering more potassium than a banana and 26 percent of your daily value. Potatoes also contain resistant starch, a type your body can't digest which keeps you feeling full. Pictured recipe: Garlic-Rosemary Smashed Potatoes. Both potatoes are a healthy carbohydrate source.

Sweet potatoes, however, have more fiber and are slightly lower on the glycemic index than white potatoes. For this reason, blood glucose will rise a little more gradually with sweet potatoes than with white potatoes. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Taraji P. Accessible Beauty Products For All.

Rawpixel Getty Images. What makes sweet potatoes healthy? Recipe Ideas. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This content is imported from Instagram. View On Instagram. Both veggies have their pros and cons, but it all comes down to your preference in taste and your individual health goals.

Here are some tips you can use at home and while eating out to make sure your potatoes are both delicious and healthy:. Yams, a popular vegetable in Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean, have brown or black skin on the outside and off-white, purple, or red flesh on the inside.

So why the confusion? As a service to our readers, University Health News offers a vast archive of free digital content. Please note the date published or last update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. View all posts by Chandra Johnson-Greene. Remember Me This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

Are Potatoes Healthy? Specifically, the orange color of sweet potatoes comes from a phytonutrient called beta-carotene. Beta-carotene isn't a compound responsible for orange pigment, it also has additional health benefits. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body, and can therefore support a healthy immune system , bone health, and certain aspects of vision health," says Manaker.

Additionally, "sweet potatoes naturally contain antioxidants, fiber, and important micronutrients like potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. White potatoes contain fiber as well as vitamin C and potassium—nutrients that are essential for supporting our overall health," says Manaker. As you can tell, there are benefits of eating both sweet and white potatoes; however, there is a winner when it comes to the additive benefits.

But when truly evaluating the nutrients that both provide, a sweet potato will provide more nutrients per bite vs. Specifically, "when comparing a sweet potato vs a white potato, the sweet contains more fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and calcium when compared with a white potato of the same quantity assuming the skin of both potatoes are consumed ," says Manaker.