Sweet potatoes have surged in popularity in recent years, often celebrated as a healthier alternative to regular white potatoes. You’ll find them featured prominently in restaurants, supermarkets, and cookbooks alike. Praised within health and fitness circles, sweet potatoes are often positioned as a nutritional “hero,” especially when stacked against their white potato counterparts. But are sweet potatoes truly that different, and crucially, Are Sweet Potatoes Starchy Food? Let’s delve into a detailed nutritional comparison to understand their composition and where they stand in terms of starch content.
Sweet Potato Carbs and Starch: Raw vs. Regular Potatoes
When looking at the raw state, both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes are indeed sources of carbohydrates, which include starch. Per 100g, sweet potatoes contain 19.7g of carbohydrates, while regular potatoes have 17.9g. This difference is marginal. In terms of protein and fat, sweet potatoes offer 1.2g of protein and 0.3g of fat per 100g, compared to regular potatoes with 1.9g of protein and 0.1g of fat. Calorie counts are also quite similar: 86kcal in sweet potatoes versus 80kcal in regular potatoes per 100g.
Initially, in their uncooked forms, the nutritional variances between these two root vegetables appear minimal concerning energy, carbohydrates, fat, and protein. However, raw comparisons only tell part of the story. To gain a more accurate understanding of their nutritional profiles as consumed, it’s essential to compare them when cooked. Let’s examine boiled and baked preparations.
Boiled Sweet Potatoes: Starch, Sugar, and Fiber Dynamics
Boiling both peeled sweet potatoes and regular potatoes in unsalted water reveals more pronounced nutritional distinctions. Boiled sweet potatoes contain slightly more calories, carbohydrates, and fat than boiled regular potatoes. Conversely, regular boiled potatoes edge ahead in protein content.
A striking difference emerges in sugar content. Boiled sweet potatoes harbor significantly more sugar – over 14 times the amount found in regular boiled potatoes (11.6g versus 0.8g per 100g). Sucrose is the predominant sugar in sweet potatoes, with glucose and fructose present in smaller quantities (1).
While both vegetables offer comparable amounts of fiber (2.1g in sweet potatoes and 1.6g in regular potatoes per 100g), boiled regular potatoes contain nearly double the starch compared to boiled sweet potatoes (15.2g versus 8.1g per 100g). This is a key finding when considering the question, “are sweet potatoes starchy food?”. Yes, they are, but relatively less so than regular potatoes when boiled.
Regarding micronutrients in boiled form, sweet potatoes generally surpass regular potatoes in vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, iron, and phosphorus. However, regular potatoes are richer in potassium, Vitamin B1, and folic acid.
Baked Sweet Potatoes: Fiber, Starch, and Sugar Balance
Comparing baked sweet potatoes and baked white potatoes continues to highlight nutritional variations. Similar to boiling, baked sweet potatoes are higher in calories, carbohydrates, and fat per 100g, while baked white potatoes contain more protein (2.2g vs 1.6g per 100g). Baked sweet potatoes boast more than double the fiber content of regular baked potatoes, but again, they present with less starch and considerably more sugar.
Micronutrient Advantages of Sweet Potatoes
Delving into the micronutrient profiles reveals sweet potatoes taking the lead in 10 out of the 12 minerals analyzed (baked sweet and regular potatoes contain equal selenium). In terms of vitamins, sweet potatoes are superior in vitamin C and vitamin A. Conversely, regular potatoes are higher in folic acid, vitamin B1, and vitamin B3.
Sweet Potato vs. Potato: Healthier Choice?
After analyzing the nutritional compositions of both boiled and baked sweet and regular potatoes, declaring a definitive “winner” is challenging. Sweet potatoes may claim the micronutrient advantage, but regular potatoes remain nutritionally valuable. Whether boiled or baked, regular potatoes contain less fat and sugar compared to sweet potatoes.
So, do sweet potatoes deserve their “health halo”? While they are indeed rich in micronutrients, flavorful, and versatile, so are regular potatoes.
The recommendation? Enjoy both in moderation. Both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes can be part of a balanced, healthy diet. Understanding that sweet potatoes are starchy food, but with a different starch and sugar profile compared to regular potatoes, allows for informed dietary choices.
*Data predominantly sourced from the Composition of Foods Integrated Database 7th edition (COFIDS), 2015, UK Department of Health.
References
- Kohyama K, Nishinari K. Effect of soluble sugars on gelatinization and retrogradation of sweet potato starch. J Agric Food Chem. 1991 Aug;39(8):1406–10.
