SUNDAY SHUTDOWN #20 THE SWEET VS THE STANDARD POTATO⠀
This one’s a goodie, what’s the deal with sweet potato being the best thing since sliced bread? And is it actually? Why have we shied away from the traditional spud?⠀
Sweet potatoes found their fame as part of the low carb movement, which negatively impacted our love of potatoes. It’s now commonplace to see sweet potato fries, mash, hash, roasties and even noodles ?⠀
?Sweet potatoes contain less calories than standard potatoes. It’s negligible really in the grand scheme of things. A favourite chain of chicken restaurants sell both chips and sweet potatoes wedges, there is a 50 calorie difference between the two. Ask yourself if it’s worth the sacrifice. ?They also contain less protein and yes, less carbohydrates. But certainly not none!⠀
?However, it’s worth noting they are called sweet potatoes for a reason, and their carbohydrate makeup is higher in sugar than their standard friends.⠀
? Regular potatoes contain more resistant starch which becomes available for the gut to benefit from when you cook and then cook them. So potato salad is a winner here!
? They are also a great source of vitamin C⠀
? Potatoes often get a bad wrap about their GI (which is the amount they raise blood sugar after consumption). However whilst they are classed as high GI, and sweet potatoes are low GI the truth of the matter is very rarely do we consume potatoes in isolation. We consume them with other foods too, which will impact their GI, it also depends how they are cooked. So GI is kind of irrelevant. ⠀
I’d recommend always keeping the skin on whatever the spud you choose. It might be different from your “normal” but the skins contain extra fibre, also great for the gut.⠀
So you can enjoy both, and I certainly wouldn’t advise sacrificing the traditional spud for it’s sweeter variety just because you think it’s healthier for you. Or because you are trying to lose weight.
