Food Face-Off: Which is Healthier? 1

Food  and Nutrition

 

Food Face-Off: Which is Healthier? 1

Provided by

By Amanda Oaklander


                             

White Potato (baked, unsalted)	Category	Sweet Potato (baked, unsalted)
108	Both are nearly identical in calories	103
2 g	…and in protein	2 g
8%	…and in carbs!	8%
10%	Sweet potatoes start shining in the fiber department.	15%
1.8 g	Though they live up to their name with more natural sugar	7.4 g
1%	They also come with more calcium.	4%
4%	Both are good sources of iron	4%
8%	And magnesium.	8%
9%	Regular spuds have more phosphorus	6%
18%	And more of that famous potato potassium.	16%
0.3%	Sweet potatoes have a pinch more sodium.	1.7%
24%	But are way higher in vitamin C.	37%
7 mcg	Sweet potatoes clobber white with beta carotene.	13,120 mcg
9%	Still, white potatoes eke out a win with niacin, aka vitamin B3.	8.5%
11%	They also contain much more folate, which powers brain neurotransmitters.	2%
0.2%	But sweet potatoes really bring their A game with oodles of vitamin A.	438%
Baked Potato: 6	WINNER: TIE	Sweet Potato: 6

THE BOTTOM LINE: News flash: Both potatoes are good for you! It’s technically a tie, but we love sweet potatoes for their insane amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene. They may be sweeter, but they’ve got the fiber to make it work.

WHAT TO BUY: Always, always spring for organic potatoes. Conventional potatoes are subjected to multiple rounds of fungicide and herbicide treatments, and you can’t wash all the chemicals off.

JUST SO YOU KNOW: We used the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference from the USDA. These figures reflect your average white potatoes and sweet potatoes.