# FITNESS and NUTRITION FORUM > DIET AND NUTRITION >  Sweet Potatoes Vs Red Potatoes

## MACHINE5150

Okay.. so i have been looking around on the internet and i can not fine any sensible reason why Sweet Potatoes are so much better than regular white potatoes. Infact, everything i have read states that Sweat Potatoes have MORE SUGAR than regular red skinned potatoes..

To quote a few places:




> By red potatoes, Im guessing you mean red-skinned potatoes. They are actually very low in sugar, with only 2.47 grams of the sweet stuff in a medium spud.
> 
> You may be confusing sugar with carbohydrates in general. And potatoes are rich in carbs, with 34 grams per potato. A sweet potato of the same size actually has more grams of sugar12and a few more grams of carbohydrate.
> 
> Both regular and sweet potatoes are great sources of potassium and other important nutrients. And if you eat them with the skin on, youll also get several grams of fiber (sweet potatoes have more).


100g red potatoe:
89 Cal
20g carbs, of which 1g is sugar and 2g is fiber

100g Sweat Potatoes:
90 cal
21g Carbs, of which 6g is sugar and 3g is fiber

So, again, is 5g of sugar worth 1 g of fiber?? i wouldn't think so, so why do people on here always suggest Sweet VS Regular potatoes???

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## baseline_9

Sweet potatoes are lower On the GI chart that regular spuds

Thats all, so they cause less insullin release and digest slower

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## gbrice75

> sweet potatoes are lower on the gi chart that regular spuds
> 
> thats all, so they cause less insullin release and digest slower


^^^ this

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## tballz

> Sweet potatoes are lower On the GI chart that regular spuds
> 
> Thats all, so they cause less insullin release and digest slower


bingo

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## MACHINE5150

okay.. that makes sense.

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## zaggahamma

are there a lot of foods that are higher in sugar than others that also have a lower glycemic effect

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## PC650

plus sweet taters taste better

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## LBSOMEIRON

At the end of the day, it makes very little difference. 

Eat whichever you like. 

I switch on and off between sweet, red, white, yams. 

All serve the same purpose. 

GI index is so overblown with so many variables. 

You aren't eating them by themselves. It's all good.

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## LBSOMEIRON

Ps. I also eat the forbidden white rice daily because I can't stand brown. 

Both are solid complex carb sources. 

Don't fall into the hype.

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## zaggahamma

> Ps. I also eat the forbidden white rice daily because I can't stand brown. 
> 
> Both are solid complex carb sources. 
> 
> Don't fall into the hype.


loves me some yellow rice and chicken and dirty rice(i think both white)

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## terraj

> At the end of the day, it makes very little difference. 
> 
> Eat whichever you like. 
> 
> I switch on and off between sweet, red, white, yams. 
> 
> All serve the same purpose. 
> 
> GI index is so overblown with so many variables. 
> ...




Yes, finally.

Thanks!

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## LBSOMEIRON

GI is altered significantly in the context of an entire meal. If you eat chicken/potatoes/green beans for example, the the GI of the potatoes is reduced. 

The GI is based on eating said foods alone and following a fast, hardly what 99.9% of people do. It's a great marketing gimmick and may hold some value for sick people (diabetes) but overall it's another example of paralysis by analysis. 

Avoid the (what I call 'non-bodybuidling food) refined carbs (cakes, pastries, cookies, sugary products) and I PROMISE you, you'll be fine. White rice, pasta bread (I hate bread), coupled with a good protein source and some fats, substionally lowers the gi index.

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## gbrice75

> Avoid refined carbs and I PROMISE you, you'll be fine.


But white rice IS a refined carb...

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## LBSOMEIRON

You are exactly right and a complete contradictory statement.

I guess it's the one exception (FOR ME) that has shown to be just as equal to brown. I believe it is the only (or one of the very few) refined carb with a GI index under 65 and very close to it's sister, brown rice (approx 56).

When I think I refined carbs (although white rice is one), I'm thinking more about the cookies, pastries, pizza, sugary products and I changed my statement.

To each his own though, but I still (and always will) use white rice up until the last 5 weeks of dieting.

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## LBSOMEIRON

all sugars
all products containing sugar
foods containing corn syrup
sodas
sugary drinks
rolls
buns
cookies
pasta
biscuits
ice cream
tacos
fries/chips
potato chips/crisps
nibbles/savory snacks
pizza
pastry
pastries
pasty/pastie
pies
dumplings
batter
cakes
desserts
puddings
candy/toffee/sweets
biscuits
chocolate
store bought cooked meats/cold cuts (when they have added sugars and additives)
sausages/hot dog frankfurters (when they contain carbohydrate fillers, additives, or sugar)
jams
jelly
jello

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## gbrice75

> When I think I refined carbs (although white rice is one), I'm thinking more about the cookies, pastries, pizza, sugary products and I changed my statement.


Definitely agree with you on these 'highly' refined carbs. 

In the end, you're right. It all comes down to what works for each of us individually. If white rice works for you, there's no reason in the world you should change it. Like you said before, "if it ain't broke...."

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## zaggahamma

> all sugars
> all products containing sugar
> foods containing corn syrup
> sodas
> sugary drinks
> rolls
> buns
> cookies
> pasta
> ...


is pasta worse than white rice when also eaten with a meal

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## MACHINE5150

> is pasta worse than white rice when also eaten with a meal


pasta is made with bleached flour which i assume ios much worse than bleached rice.. so i would assume it is not a good alternative.. but i realy wish someone can tell me i am wrong as i LOVE pasta

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## baseline_9

Go for a good wholemeal pasta

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