Potato versus Sweet Potato

 

sweet potatoes are also higher in fiber and they have a lower glycemic index which is important to diabetics and carb watchers.

Growing up I always HATED sweet potatoes... then over thanksgiving I decided to give it a try with some fat free sour cream. It was actually really good... hah. Sorry not much help. I guess just give them a try.

 

Yeah I eat the skins on sweet potatoes.  And i love them no matter how they're prepared.... but you're right, they're awesome "loaded up". I like butter, brown sugar and cinnamon the best MMMMMM.

The glycemic index has to do with how fast the carbs (sugar included) is used by your body... like how fast it enters your system. Sweet potatoes are higher in number of sugar grams but a lower (slower) glycemic index. It can also vary depending on how their cooked. Weird I know.

try this site for more info:

http://www.glycemicindex.com/

i love potatoes of all kinds. and i eat the skin on sweet potatoes. i thought that regular white potatoes were way more caloric though?

I eat the skin on sweet potatoes. How do they taste different in a pie other than by adding more sugar. I agree with the sour cream thing. I have them usually with salad and some grilled chicken breast or other protein but they're so good with butter, sour cream, peanut butter, mango chutney, tomato chutney etc. etc. And I LOVE them roasted! :D

 

I eat both and I really don't think of one as a substitute for the other. I love sweet potatoes (particularly in baked french fry form) but I also like potatoes.

If you aren't into sweet potatoes, don't eat them! There are lots of other ways to get your vitamins.

And as much as I love sweet potatoes, I certainly don't bash the regular potato. I agree with you that people are overly mean to standard potatoes.  

I only like sweet potatoes with brown sugar.  I've had fries and chips made with them and they just don't taste right to me.  Anyway to be "healthy" I make a baked sweet potato with just a little bit of brown sugar and light butter and put cinnamon on it.  It's got a lot of vitamins that I don't get otherwise since I don't like carrots or many other vegetables,  I really should eat more sweet potatoes.  That said, I have no problems with the regular potato.  Baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, and home-fries are great and I certainly don't consider them "bad" as long as I keep cheese and butter to a minimum.

 

Original Post by moonikins:

I just went back and compared the nutrition info for baked for both:

180g sweet potato, baked w/skin no salt - 162 cal., fiber 5.9, Grade A, bad points high in sugar

170g potato, baked w/skin no salt - 161 cal, fiber 3.8, Grade A, bad points none

Now the fiber benefit is only if you eat the skin. People regularly eat a baked potato and the skin, but I've never seen anyone eat a sweet potato skin. Do any of you?

The sweet potato beats the regular potato in several vitamin and mineral categories by a long shot.

Sketch, I have tried sweet potatoes in many ways. I just can't stand them unless they're in a gooey sweet pie or smothered with marshmellows. The flavor of a baked sweet potato disgusts me. I don't even like the smell of them baking.

I have never tried the sweet potato fries, because I don't see the point. But if I want some fries, I'm going to use regular potatoes and do them in the oven with a little oil so I don't blow my calories.

I love regular potatoes, especially baked. They are not any more calorie dense than a sweet potato.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE baked sweet potatos IN the skin.
They're my comfort food ;]
Sorry, I know that wasn't much help but they're pretty amazing.

wow Im really perplexed by everyones answers here! Im from New Zealand and we have a sweet potato here called 'Kumera'.  I have been pretty much brought up on it used with the potato in roasts or mashed or as fries.  I have NEVER put anything sweet on it and the thought of doing so is the same as putting brown sugar on brocoli or something, euuu!

For a while I avoided both the humble potato and kumera (or sweet potato) when I went through the less carbs phase.  Over that one and onto everything in moderation to keep balanced.  I personally way prefer the sweet potato over boring plain potato, it has more flavor and frankly I feel full for longer on it.  My favorite way to eat it is cubed, skin on, drizzled (gently) with cold pressed olive oil and covered in Rosemary and a bit of rock salt.  sooo good.

my love for sweet potatoes cannot be put into words. they're so flavorful and delicious and i'm always in awe that nature has given us such a scrumptious treat. they're delectable when baked with nothing on them, but i usually add a bit of cinnamon and stevia to it to make it more dessert-like.

i have a hard time understanding how anyone cannot like them!

I agree tani. I never thought of them as being a dessert either until I came on this website. I've never had pumpkin pie either. Sweet potatoes are for baking, mashing or roasting and having with dinner. Pumpkin is for pie but savoury pie, or soup! But, I did think of having one sweet as a dessert the other day...you've all converted me!

I don't think you should pay much attention to the bad points when it comes to fresh fruits and veggies and they say it is high in sugar, its good sugar not like you are eating tablespoons full of white granulated sugar.  I still can't determine the difference between a sweet potato and a yam but I know that in my market their are two kinds of sweet potatoes one with red skin and one with brown skin.  The one with brown skin is delicious baked in the oven (just like a regular potato) even without any butter added to it.  I can't say the same for the red skined ones they are less sweet and more dry.  Try out different varieties.

 

Just a quick note: here in the US we use the terms "yam" and "sweet potato" interchangeably. Actually, yams are a totally different species, and they aren't readily available in the US. Everything we get here is really a sweet potato, but we call the red skinned ones "yams" and the brown skinned ones "sweet potatoes."

i've been working on the sweet potato fries, and although they are yummy and both healthier and more filling that regular fries, i can't seem to get them really crispy.  any tips?

The only way I can get my sweet potato fries satisfyingly crispy is to do a bread crumb coating. My recipe is posted here but the calorie count is probably pretty off. I almost always end up with lots of egg and bread crumbs left, so I know I'm not actually getting that many calories.

Things that seem to help (besides the bread crumb coating): baking at a high temp (at least 450F, but I sometimes do 475F) and laying out the fries by hand on a baking sheet so that none of them touch.  Tedious, yes, but I have found it to be the most critical part. Sadly, my oven seems to get angry if I bake two trays at once and one tray always ends up less crisp. So I take the time to lay all the fries out and then only bake one sheet at a time. The whole process ends up being very time consuming, but they are worth the effort.

Good luck! They are ridiculously good once you master them - crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.  

I had a pony who liked sweet potatos!