Sweet Potatoes

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marc_s_johnson
marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
in Food and Nutrition
A friend of mine recently suggested eating sweet potatoes as part of a clean diet, when scanning the calories I found them to be quite high and wondered if he was right because right now they don't look that much different to normal potatoes.

Anyone know?

Replies

  • serendipity57
    serendipity57 Posts: 153 Member
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    This is from the Livestrong site.........


    Like many foods, it seems potatoes have fallen into the diet trend trap. While you may be shunning white potatoes in favor of sweet potatoes, both provide essential nutrients your body needs for good health. Comparing the nutrient composition of the two can help you determine how they fit into your meal plan.
    SERVING SIZE
    When comparing nutrition information for food items, it is important to use the same serving size to help judge the similarities. A 100 g serving, or about 3.3 oz., is a typical standard serving size used to compare foods. This is important because, according to the USDA Nutrient Database a medium-sized sweet potato weighs 114 g, while a medium-sized white potato measures 173 g, which can significantly skew the nutrient composition when comparing the two items.


    CALORIES
    The calorie content of the white potato and the sweet potato are similar. A 100 g serving of a baked white potato with the skin contains 93 calories, while the same sized serving of a baked sweet potato with the skin contains 90 calories.
    CARBOHYDRATES AND FIBER
    As a starchy food, most of the calories in the two potatoes comes from the carbohydrate content. A 100 g serving of the white potato contains 21 g of carbohydrates and 2.2 g of fiber, and the sweet potato has 21 g of carbohydrates and 3.3 g of fiber. While the sweet potato contains more fiber, the difference is only slight. Fiber is an essential nutrient lacking in the American diet, notes the American Dietetic Association. Fiber improves bowel movements, aids in hunger control and lowers blood cholesterol levels. Adult women need between 25 g of fiber a day, and adult men need 30 g a day.
    PROTEIN AND FAT
    Both potatoes are virtually fat-free, with similar protein contents. A 100 g serving of white potato contains 2.5 g of protein and 0.1 g of fat, and the sweet potato 2 g of protein and 0.2 g of fat. A healthy diet should get 10 to 35 percent of its calories from protein, and 20 to 35 percent of its calories from fat.
    VITAMINS
    The vitamin content does vary more significantly between the two potatoes. A 100 g serving of white potato contains 9.6 mg of vitamin C, 28 mcg of folate and 1 IU of vitamin A, while sweet potato has 20 mg of vitamin C, 6 mcg of folate and 19,218 IU of vitamin A. The sweet potato is higher in vitamin C and significantly higher in vitamin A. One serving of sweet potato provides 384 percent of your daily value for vitamin A. Vitamin A supports growth and development, eye health and the immune system.
    MINERALS
    When it comes to minerals, the white potato is a better source of iron and potassium than the sweet potato. A 100 g serving of the white potato contains 1.1 mg of iron and 535 mg of potassium, and the sweet potato 0.7 mg of iron and 435 mg of potassium. Iron -deficiency anemia is one of the most common nutritional disorders in the world, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. A 100 g serving of white potato meets 6 percent of your daily value for iron.
  • marc_s_johnson
    marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
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    Right, thanks, so it seems theres not much in it.
  • LAW_714
    LAW_714 Posts: 258
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    A baked russet potato is listed as 111 GI with a glycemic load of 33 per serving.

    A sweet potato is 70 and 22 respectively.
  • brooke_young08
    brooke_young08 Posts: 70
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    Sweet potatoes have vibrant color. Since that is generally a good indicator of higher phyto-nutrients, I pick sweet potatoes over white potatoes any day! (Not so much about the calories for me, more about how nutrient-dense foods are.)
  • marc_s_johnson
    marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
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    I'm not sure what that means tbh.

    Basically I want to have half my plate filled with sweet potatoes to fill my meals out and am wondering if its the right thing to do.

    I find them filling but don't want to go down that route if they are not that great to eat like that.
  • DiamondRubyMom
    DiamondRubyMom Posts: 147 Member
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    I also find it easier to eat a sweet potato plain than I do a white potato.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    High in what?

    Also, I'm no "clean eater", but I think most definitions of "clean eating" refer to how processed a food is. I don't think a potato in its original state would be classed as "unclean".

    I rarely eat sweet potatoes because I'm not too keen on them. Funnily enough, they taste too sweet for me. I eat plenty of potatoes though, I find them a handy source of potassium and other minerals.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    I'm not sure what that means tbh.

    Basically I want to have half my plate filled with sweet potatoes to fill my meals out and am wondering if its the right thing to do.

    I find them filling but don't want to go down that route if they are not that great to eat like that.
    I think maybe you're overthinking things a bit. Do you like them? Do they meet your personal nutritional goals?
  • ldstrange
    ldstrange Posts: 17
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    I also find it easier to eat a sweet potato plain than I do a white potato.

    BINGO! We have a winner!

    Eating a sweet potato plain, nothing other than perhaps a dash of good cinnamon is a treat to me, sweet a satisfying.

    Eating a baked Russet potato plain, no salt, butter or sour cream, is a chore. It's filling but the taste is very bland.

    Given a choice I'll take the sweet potato 9 times out of 10. :)
  • BoboGritt
    BoboGritt Posts: 72 Member
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    Hello. I am not smart enough to figure out the science of it as it all confuses me to be honest. However, early on I read about the general rule of avoiding things like white rice, potatoes and bread. So I cut all of that out. I also was looking for something healthy to fill out my meals and I turned to sweet potatoes.

    The results have been great. I eat them 3-4 times a day in pretty big volumes. They keep me very satisfied and I have lost a great deal of weight with them as a big part of my intake. Another good sign in regard to them is I feel real good physically with them as a big part of my diet.

    Good luck to you.
  • marc_s_johnson
    marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
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    Hello. I am not smart enough to figure out the science of it as it all confuses me to be honest. However, early on I read about the general rule of avoiding things like white rice, potatoes and bread. So I cut all of that out. I also was looking for something healthy to fill out my meals and I turned to sweet potatoes.

    The results have been great. I eat them 3-4 times a day in pretty big volumes. They keep me very satisfied and I have lost a great deal of weight with them as a big part of my intake. Another good sign in regard to them is I feel real good physically with them as a big part of my diet.

    Good luck to you.

    Hi, I've done something similar which is why I asked really.

    For the last few months I have also cut out potatoes rice and pasta and been living on veg and cous cous along with my meat getting good results but now I'm starting to intergrate some sweet potatoes and just wondered if they are viewed the same as potatoes because if so I may think of something else, naturaly I'm a bit nervous as I cut normal potatoes, rice and pasta out and saw speedy results.

    Thanks for the replies everyone.
  • marc_s_johnson
    marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
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    I'm not sure what that means tbh.

    Basically I want to have half my plate filled with sweet potatoes to fill my meals out and am wondering if its the right thing to do.

    I find them filling but don't want to go down that route if they are not that great to eat like that.
    I think maybe you're overthinking things a bit. Do you like them? Do they meet your personal nutritional goals?

    I am, I do and I do!!!!
  • Joreanasaurous
    Joreanasaurous Posts: 1,384 Member
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    I always keep a big bag of sweet potatoes handy. It's an easy thing I can pair with a dinner of chicken and veggies or I can slice them up with a bit of olive oil and fry them up with my scrambled eggs.

    If they fit your calorie goals/macros for the day eat them, of they don't then don't
  • marc_s_johnson
    marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
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    I always keep a big bag of sweet potatoes handy. It's an easy thing I can pair with a dinner of chicken and veggies or I can slice them up with a bit of olive oil and fry them up with my scrambled eggs.

    If they fit your calorie goals/macros for the day eat them, of they don't then don't

    Thanks, thats the sort of info Im after really, they do fit into my calories and I want to eat them in bulk, if its not bad for you than thats good.

    Trying to eat the healthier options and if they can be eaten in bulk like Brocoli for example than that is good to hear.

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