The difference of foods....

tlc12078

I went to the store today to pick up some pasta for spaghetti. I bought one for my bf cus he dont like wheat and I looked on the back, thinking wow. ok So I picked up the wheat and read the labels for that. The wheat and the regular pasta are the exact same in carbs, fat, calories. So where is the difference? And the same with white and sweet potatoes. I know it has to do with sugars, but wouldnt the healthy one be more.....healthier?

RachelVon

I believe wheat you actually digest better, something about removing the germ/endo sperm whatever, so it has less processing on it. Sweet potatoes have a lot more nutrients in them, where potatoes have about the same nutrition as bread. Potatoes are actually considered a carbohydrate while sweet potato is a vegetable.

~Rachel

AeolianHarp

I believe wheat you actually digest better, something about removing the germ/endo sperm whatever, so it has less processing on it. Sweet potatoes have a lot more nutrients in them, where potatoes have about the same nutrition as bread. Potatoes are actually considered a carbohydrate while sweet potato is a vegetable.

~Rachel

Carbohydrates are a macronutrient and vegetables is a classification of food, so potatoes and sweet potatoes are both vegetables and both contain carbohydrates. And sweet potatoes aren't all that much more nutritious than white potatoes (such as a russet), I promise you this.

tlc12078

Thanks for responding. I was aiming to get the wheat and I decided to put it back.....for now anyways til I hear the difference. I know white bread has sugar in it, that is why they tell you to eat wheat and I was wondering if that was the same case for the pasta.

zyxst

The only differences I find are in the breakdown of the fat (trans/saturated) and omega-3s. I stick with the white bread and regular pastas because they are what I like.

AeolianHarp

Thanks for responding. I was aiming to get the wheat and I decided to put it back.....for now anyways til I hear the difference. I know white bread has sugar in it, that is why they tell you to eat wheat and I was wondering if that was the same case for the pasta.

Choose the one you prefer. One is not necessarily healthier than the other. I just made a thread discussing this. If you prefer wheat then eat wheat. If not then don't. If you feel uncomfortable eating white then I suggest you get pasta by a company that mimics the flavour of white while containing the nutrition of wheat. There's a brand I eat called Catelli smart, which has quite a bit of fibre and tastes like white. If I'm girlfriend will eat it then you know it's decently close to regular pasta.

But, ultimately, pick the one that you are comfortable with and enjoy. The differences are quite small. You can also buy white pasta with no sugar.

RachelVon

I believe wheat you actually digest better, something about removing the germ/endo sperm whatever, so it has less processing on it. Sweet potatoes have a lot more nutrients in them, where potatoes have about the same nutrition as bread. Potatoes are actually considered a carbohydrate while sweet potato is a vegetable.

~Rachel

Carbohydrates are a macronutrient and vegetables is a classification of food, so potatoes and sweet potatoes are both vegetables and both contain carbohydrates. And sweet potatoes aren't all that much more nutritious than white potatoes (such as a russet), I promise you this.

But in a head-to-head comparison, these two tubers are seemingly very similar. In a 100-gram portion, the white potato has 92 calories, 21 grams of carbs, 2.3 grams of dietary fiber, 2.3 g of protein and 17% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. The same amount of sweet potato, on the other hand, has 90 calories, 21 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, 35% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C and 380% of the daily recommended value of vitamin A.