20/01/2019
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Here's a question (a brilliant one), the answer to which will shock a lot of people.
"Fridays are normally a chip day in the evening. I cook the chips in an air fryer to use less oil. Is that okay or should I look into alternatives? Like sweet potatoes to cut down on the carbs?"
First of all, sweet potatoes do not have less carbs than regular white potatoes.
White potatoes have 17g of carbohydrates per 100g (of which 2.2g is fibre and 0.8g is sugar).
Sweet potatoes have 20g of carbohydrates per 100g (of which 3g is fibre and and 4.2g is sugar.
Sweet potatoes have MORE carbs than regular white potatoes per 100g. Shocked?
Don't be.
The world is full of misinformation like this, especially when it comes to nutrition for fat loss. Get used to it.
I digress.
Let's say a serving size of spuds is 250g, then the total difference in carbs is 7.5g, not a whole lot in the grander scheme of things. So I wouldn't let that be the driving factor when it comes to your choice of spud.
Now let's take a look at some other values.
White potatoes have 77 calories per 100g. Sweet potatoes have 86 calories per 100g.
Again, the sweet potato has slightly more, but not a major difference worth writing home about. A total difference of only 23 calories in a 250g serving.
If we look at the micronutrient profile, white potatoes are a great source of Vitamin C and Vitamin B6, while sweet potatoes are an amazing source of Vitamin A (283% RDV).
Two very different micronutrient profiles, which means they actually complement each other. In other words, no one is better over the other, they are just different, so eat them both!
Last but not least, let's compare their glycemic index (GI).
The GI of a food measures its impact on blood sugar and is often sprouted as a measure of how "fattening" a certain food is.
Foods are ranked according to how they compare to ingested glucose, which is 100 out of 100. High GI foods have a higher effect on blood glucose levels and low GI foods have a lower effect on blood glucose levels.
High GI foods, when eaten on their own, won't fill you for very long. Whereas low GI foods are usually more satiating and will help to keep you fuller for longer.
Depending on how they are cooked, potatoes have a varying GI. Baked and boiled white potatoes both have a high GI, 111 and 92. Whereas baked and boiled sweet potatoes have very different GI's, 94 and 46.
Baked white potatoes have the highest GI and boiled sweet potatoes have the lowest. But do these numbers really mean anything?
No, not really!
They are only a teeny tiny part of the story. The truth is, GI CHANGES when other foods are introduced. When high GI foods are eaten as part of a meal, with protein and fats, then the GI becomes meaningless, as their impact on blood glucose decreases.
Rarely would we eat potatoes on their own, but instead as part of a meal. So letting GI be the driving factor when it comes to your choice of spud is kinda silly.
So if carbs, calories or GI shouldn't be the driving factor then what should?
Wait for it.... it's a real shocker...
Let personal preference be the driving factor for your choice of spud.
Hooray!
Choose to eat the spud that YOU prefer. Or eat them both.
To sum it up: Regular white potatoes and sweet potatoes are both awesome, they are both healthy, so eat them both. Or whichever one you prefer.
So, how are the shock levels?!
