Versatile, nutritious and tasty, potatoes are a staple ingredient in many people's daily diets.
But which one is the best choice to pair with our meat and two veg? There's been a gathering appetite for the fashionable sweet potato, but is it really the more nutritious of the two?
White potato gets a bit of a bad rep due to their association with its deep fried, processed friends. But is it deserved? If we're looking at the chart above then maybe not.
When it comes to calories, white potato and sweet potato are evenly matched . But we know that calories don't tell the full story, so let's look at the macro nutrients. White potatoes contain slightly more protein than a sweet potato, and slightly less carbohydrates, whereas for fat both contain a very small amount, 0.1g per 100g of sweet potato and 0.2g per 100g of white potato - so not much to report again.
The only real differences emerge when we look at the vitamin and sugar content of both potatoes. White potato doesn't contain any vitamin A but sweet potato have a massive 283% of your daily allowance. Vitamin A helps the body in bone growth, reproduction and immune system health. Although white potatoes don't contain and Vitamin A, they do contain more vitamin C, which helps the body protect itself against disease and immune system deficiencies. Sweet potatoes stay true to their name with a higher amount of naturally occurring sugars.
The result? We don't like to sit on the fence but with this week's contenders it feels like we have a tie. Both sweet and white potatoes contain great nutritional benefits - just make sure you stick to baking, steaming or boiling not frying and hold the toppings. Want a more in depth analysis of the differences between sweet and white potato? Then check out this great post from Precision Nutrition.
