Sweet Potatoes vs. White Potatoes: Which is Better?

By Sarah Heckler, MS, RDN/LDN, CISSN

Which Potatoes Are Better?

Potatoes seem to have gotten a bad rap…and for good reason. According to the USDA, over 50% of potatoes make it into french fries, chips and other processed potato products, which aren’t doing anything good for our health.

But let’s take a look at the fresh, whole food version of potatoes and see how they stack up to their orange counterparts, the sweet potato, in our potato showdown.

Macronutrient Breakdown

Carbs 90-93%, 1% fat, 6-9% protein
Ounce for ounce, they have about the same calories, or about 90 calories per 3oz baked potato (in skin)

Winner = Draw

Micronutrient Breakdown

Both potatoes have potassium, which is good for regulating blood pressure and replacing potassium lost in sweat. White potatoes have slightly more potassium, with 1 medium potato containing about 21% of the daily value for potassium compared to 15% in 1 medium sweet potato.
The big difference, between the two, is in the vitamin A content. Sweet potatoes have a ton of vitamin A, around 19,000 IU. Vitamin A is beneficial for eye health and is an antioxidant good for combating free radicals produced during exercise.
If you eat the skin, the white potato has slightly more iron.

Potassium Winner = White Potato (barely)

Vitamin A Winner = Sweet Potato (by a landslide!)

Why We Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes have more flavor and therefore, require less flavorings, such as salt, to be added. Some people may need to limit their salt intake. They adapt well to savory or sweet applications too.
Sweet Potatoes are more versatile and can be baked, roasted or made into noodles. Many sweet potato recipes also utilize sweet potatoes as a meatless option for example in tacos with black beans or shredded as a vegetarian sloppy joe.

Try this Sweet Potato Recipe:

Sweet Potato Noodles in a Thai Peanut Sauce

Here’s a favorite sweet potato recipe of mine with sweet potato noodles.

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1-2 Sweet Potatoes, spiralized
1-2 heads of Broccoli
Olive oil
Thai Peanut Sauce (can be home made, recipe here, or your favorite store bought brand)
¼ cup Peanuts, crushed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash and cut broccoli into bite size pieces. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place broccoli on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 30 minutes, turning broccoli halfway through.
While broccoli is cooking, place a skillet on the stove over medium heat and heat 1 tbsp olive oil in pan. Place spiralized sweet potatoes in pan and cook until potatoes are soft.
When broccoli is done place in skillet with sweet potatoes and pour Thai Peanut Sauce over the vegetables. Leave on the stove for 1-2 minutes to allow sauce to heat.
Remove from stove, top with crushed peanuts and enjoy.