Sweet Potato vs 'Normal' Potato

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gongol07
gongol07 Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Having looked at various diets and eating plans over the years, there seems to be a lot of use of sweet potato rather than the 'normal' white potato. I have looked them up on the database here and the nutrition info looks to be about the same. Just wondering, what is the big deal with the sweet potato?

P.S: I know, there is no such thing as 'normal'!
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Replies

  • misskarihari
    misskarihari Posts: 104 Member
    edited January 2015
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    (This post belongs in food & nutrition forum)

    First of all, they are two very different vegetables.
    They are both called potatoes, but have different families. Potatoes are in the solanaceae family, and sweet potatoes in the convolvulaceae family. Sweet potato are very rich in beta caroten, vitamin c and fiber which there is not that much of in regular potato. It tastes very sweet and is easy to like. I think it reminds of carrot in the flavour. :)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    sweet potatoes taste ick

    HTH :grinning:
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    sweet potatoes taste ick

    HTH :grinning:

    A little brown sugar. A little butter. I could get fat by eating sweet potatoes.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,017 Member
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    There's been a crusade going on for at least a decade against the spud....... where have you been, cleaning the castle?
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    There some interesting information here: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/regular-vs-sweet-potatoes

    The main differences are vitamin A content (in orange sweet potatoes) and glycaemic index.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    I love them both, but you can only make pie with the sweet potato. <3
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Regular potatoes don't taste good with maple syrup.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Laurend224 wrote: »
    I love them both, but you can only make pie with the sweet potato. <3

    Out of interest as an ignorant Brit, is sweet potato pie a dessert, like pumpkin pie? If so, I must add it to my 'to bake' list.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    KarenJanine wrote: »
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    I love them both, but you can only make pie with the sweet potato. <3

    Out of interest as an ignorant Brit, is sweet potato pie a dessert, like pumpkin pie? If so, I must add it to my 'to bake' list.

    Yup, it's pretty much just like pumpkin pie.

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    White potatoes were demonized several years ago. I think a lot of people were just told white foods and starchy foods are bad and didn't look up nutritional information personally. Sweet potatoes were supposedly okay so they became more popular. Some people prefer sweet potatoes anyway.
    I feel both can be part of a healthy diet.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Is anyone else here weird like me and sometimes craves a baked potato just for the skin?
  • AbbieBeckett
    AbbieBeckett Posts: 70 Member
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    Sweet potatoes are to sweet for me, I really don't like it... same goes for parsnips. Carrots are just about as sweet as I go vegetable wise.
    mamapeach910 wrote: »
    Is anyone else here weird like me and sometimes craves a baked potato just for the skin?

    Yes, yes I do :p
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    mamapeach910 wrote: »
    Is anyone else here weird like me and sometimes craves a baked potato just for the skin?

    Yes, especially since I've discovered salt crusted baked potatoes. =)
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Laurend224 wrote: »
    mamapeach910 wrote: »
    Is anyone else here weird like me and sometimes craves a baked potato just for the skin?

    Yes, especially since I've discovered salt crusted baked potatoes. =)

    What is this sorcery? It sounds like something that needs to be in my life.

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    http://www.food.com/recipe/red-lobster-salt-crusted-baked-potatoes-252307

    Delish.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited January 2015
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    The only difference is that their vitamin and mineral content is slightly different. Sweet potatoes have more vitamin A, regular ones have more potassium. Sweet potatoes are also slightly higher in calories. Other than that, sweet potatoes are too sweet to be edible, but that's just personal preference.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    God I really want a jacket potato now

    but I have packed vietnamese noodles for lunch
  • mfp2014mfp
    mfp2014mfp Posts: 689 Member
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    The biggest difference between the 2 is Vitamin A content with sweet potato you get lots with 'normal' you get little if any. Sweet potato also has twice the Vitamin C content, and twice the manganese content. You also get a broader spectrum of B Vitamins from sweet potato than normal. Hope that helps a little :smile:
  • JennyJH
    JennyJH Posts: 189 Member
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    Personally the biggest difference is that I hate the taste of sweet potato. I try them every now and then as I feel I should like them, but they end up in the dog's bowl.

    Where as I love white potato. Roast, mashed, baked, saute, wedges with seas salt, olive oil and rosemary. Chips with salt and oodles of vinegar & tomato sauce eaten out of paper by the seaside. Best of all, Bombay Potatoes. All crispy & spicy.

    Probably very few healthy serving suggestions there!!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    They are totally different foods, as mentioned above. Both are great, IMO, and I eat both. I think what you are noticing is mostly the bizarre anti-potato sentiment from some, and thus the desire to replace it in all things by the sweet potato, but I say eat both, just alternate and choose which one goes best with whatever else you are eating.

    My preference for both is roasting.

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