| When I first started looking at sweet potatoes I was | | | | Sweet potatoes having high fiber content would make |
| trying to figure out the difference between them and | | | | them a more complex carbohydrate, meaning that it |
| regular white potatoes. I was extremely surprised | | | | would take longer for them to digest in your system |
| when I found out the difference so I thought I would | | | | leaving you fuller longer. |
| write about it because I'm sure a lot of people (like me) | | | | I also found out that they have a great effect on |
| didn't know how good they are for you! | | | | diabetics as well. Now being a more complex |
| Of course the first thing I always look for is what's the | | | | carbohydrate alone will help blood sugar levels |
| difference in fat and calories content? Surprisingly | | | | because it won't give you a spike in your sugar, like |
| enough I found there wasn't a huge difference to them | | | | white potatoes will. |
| except for the fiber content. | | | | Sweet potatoes have 40% soluble fiber, which helps |
| White Potatoes (6 oz) Sweet Potatoes (6 oz) | | | | lower blood sugar and cholesterol. They are also rich in |
| 189 calories 214 calories | | | | carotenoids, orange and yellow pigments that help the |
| .17 grams of fat .19 grams of fat | | | | body respond to insulin. |
| 4.2 grams of fiber 7.1 grams of fiber | | | | They're also loaded with vitamin C, which is an |
| White potatoes carry all their vitamins and nutrients in | | | | everyday necessity for us. The vitamin C's |
| their skins, the part that most of us toss away. | | | | antioxidants power in the sweet potatoes help arteries |
| Therefore, unless you leave the skins on your white | | | | from being damaged helps fight heart disease and |
| potatoes there is virtually no nutrients in them | | | | complications of diabetes. |
| whatsoever. | | | | Recent studies have shown among almost 2000 men |
| When I started reading about all of the vitamins and | | | | that those with diets that were rich in beta-carotene |
| nutrients in a sweet potatoes and what they could do | | | | and vitamin C were more likely to survive prostate |
| for you, I decided to start cooking with them instead. | | | | cancer then ones without it. |
| Sweet potatoes themselves have a sweeter taste | | | | The same thing was found in a study of women that it |
| (hence the name it was given) | | | | helped reduce the risk of breast cancer by as much |
| They also come from a completely different family | | | | as 25%. |
| than what white potatoes come from. | | | | Beta-carotene is a nutrient that is converted by the |
| The white potatoes come from a family which name | | | | body into vitamin A. It's an antioxidant and may offer |
| is Solanceae. Other members of this family include | | | | some protection against certain cancers and diseases. |
| tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillas. | | | | Sweet potatoes are also great for people with high |
| The sweet potatoes come from a family which name | | | | blood pressure because it's rich in potassium, which is |
| is Convolvulaceae. The members of this family include | | | | known for bring blood pressure down. |
| the flower called morning glory. | | | | Amazing that all of this can be found in one vegetable! |
| So as you can see they are two totally different | | | | So try and substitute sweet potatoes where ever you |
| types of vegetable even though they share the same | | | | are using white potatoes. They're a many great |
| name. | | | | recipes out there for sweet potatoes. |