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.
Potatoes are also, of course, immensely nutritious. They’re filled with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and immune-strengthening properties. But when it comes to which type of potato has the most nutritional benefits, one type of potato stands out. The winner? Sweet.
The mighty sweet potato
Sweet potatoes are a quintessential fall and winter food, but thanks to their numerous health benefits, they’re worth eating all year long. They’re also worth eating instead of classic potatoes whenever you want. Although similar in size, shape, and cooking methods, sweet potatoes have slightly superior health benefits and nutritional properties.
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.
Sweet potatoes vs. regular potatoes
While all types of potatoes are definitely nutritious—you can’t make a wrong choice!—sweet potatoes have a slight advantage for a couple of reasons. Mostly, it’s their abundance of cancer-fighting beta carotene and vitamin A that makes them such amazing nutritional powerhouses. They 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. Regular potatoes, on the other hand, have a higher GI, which could lead to rapid increases of insulin levels.
Many people prefer the sweet taste of sweet potatoes—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 have a more neutral taste and are most generally white or yellow—though some non-sweet potato varieties also have blue or purple flesh.
Nutritional properties of sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Unlike traditional potatoes, which are richer in simple starch, sweet potatoes contain a type of carbohydrate that is digested more slowly, helping to keep blood sugar levels stable. The notable nutritional properties of sweet potatoes include: