Red Desiree Potatoes are part of the Red Potato family and are considered to be the healthiest of all potatoes, as they contain the highest levels of vitamins, minerals and healthy phytochemicals.
Carbohydrate (carb) is the main energy source supplied by potato. The carb content varies depending on the potato variety. The lowest is Zerella with 8.9 g per 100 g. GiLICIOUS comes in at 10.3 g per 100.
Red potatoes are particularly healthy because of the thin, nutrient filled skins, which are loaded with fiber, B vitamins, iron and potassium. Half of the fiber of a potato comes from the skin. On red potatoes in particular, the skin is already super thin, so it doesn't detract from the taste or texture.
With the most fiber, vitamins A & C and a healthy dose of potassium, sweet potatoes come out the winner! Keep in mind all the potatoes are nutrient-dense and each has a unique nutritional strong point, so mix it up next time you grab some.
Both boiled and steamed potatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber but very low in fat, sugar, and salt.
The sweet potato had the lowest vitamin profile, as well as the largest sodium-to-potassium ratio. A relatively larger sodium-to-potassium ratio provides a lower score. That's because sodium possesses hypertensive properties, while potassium (and calcium) possess hypotensive properties.
When boiled, sweet potatoes are a low glycemic index (GI) food, meaning they won't spike your blood sugar as much as regular potatoes, according to research published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism.
Calories There are 125 calories in a white potato versus 108 calories in a sweet potato. Protein There is 1.9 g of protein in a white potato versus 1.3 g protein in a sweet potato.
Overall, potatoes contain more vitamins and nutrients than rice, but when you add toppings such as butter, sour cream, gravy, bacon bits and salt, the number of calories and fat grams in a baked potato increases significantly.
Cold Water Soak
A quick rinse under cold water can wash away much of the surface starch. More starch is removed from a cut potato than a whole peeled potato, because a greater surface area is exposed on cut potatoes. Soak them in cold water for as long as a few hours to remove more starch than by rinsing alone.
And unlike white bread, the starch in potatoes hasn't been refined to deplete nutrients. Potatoes also deliver niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin C and magnesium. They're a great source of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure.
Sweet potatoes are not only delicious; it turns out they're a major source of soluble fiber, which is bad cholesterol's worst nightmare. Soluble fiber helps the body excrete cholesterol by binding to bile acids.
Macronutrients. A large banana and a small potato weigh about the same amount, but a potato offers more vitamin content per calorie than a banana. A banana has 121 calories, 1.5 grams of protein and 3.5 grams of fiber, while a potato has 134 calories, 3.6 grams of protein and 3.2 grams of fiber.
Adults with type 2 diabetes who ate a mixed evening meal with skinless potatoes had a lower overnight blood glucose response compared to a meal with low-GI basmati rice. While the glycemic index can be a useful tool, it cannot be used as the be-all and end-all guide for those attempting to manage their diabetes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, boiled sweet potatoes contain more than 14 times the amount of sugar of regular boiled potatoes (11.6g compared to 0.8g per 100g). The majority of the sugar in sweet potatoes is from sucrose, with glucose and fructose making up the minority (1).
Potatoes are cholesterol-free and have zero saturated fat
Consuming foods that are low in cholesterol and saturated fat help reduce risk of suffering from heart diseases to some extent. So if you have a heart problem, adding some slices of boiled potatoes as a side can help in giving your heart the much needed TLC.
You're better off tossing potatoes that have turned green or grown sprouts. Eating them puts you at risk for potential toxicity from solanine and chaconine, two natural toxins found in green or sprouted potatoes.
"The healthiest way to eat a potato is baking it with the skin on," says Upton. "Baked potatoes add no additional calories like frying or roasting with oil."
Both white and sweet potatoes are beneficial for weight loss and considered a low-calorie food, pound for pound, explained Coufal.
The best may be purple potatoes, not just purple-skinned potatoes but purple-fleshed. Here's why: They cause less of an insulin and blood sugar spike compared to even the yellow-fleshed potatoes.
When a potato is baked the starch does not in fact convert to sugar, this is incorrect. The only way that starch in a potato can convert to sugar is when the (raw) potato is stored at 41°F or colder for too long a period.