While most sweet potato varieties are delicious and incredibly versatile, knowing what type you're dealing with can help you choose a cooking method and sweet potato recipe that may be better suited for that spud. These are what you typically find in the grocery store, even if the label says yam. Furthermore, sweet potatoes are a natural sweetness. Youll have better luck in specialty type markets selling international products. This is definitely the faster method of cooking them. Although they are sometimes mistaken for yams, they are more firm on the inside and have a slightly sweet taste. And if you want to prepare them a different way, here are some of our favorite recipes: Paleo Brussels Sprouts Recipe with Lemon, Bacon, and Sweet Potatoes Recipe, Walnut & Coconut Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole, Post Workout Sweet Potato Coffee Protein Shake. This mineral also plays a role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption and blood sugar regulation." In its raw state, the potato flesh has a faint white marbling effect. Lets examine the different taste and texture of each sweet potato. Roast at 400F for 25 minutes, broil for 5 minutes. Carotenoids may be beneficial in enhancing your immune system and contribute to eye health. Sweet potatoes are said to have about 86 calories per 100 g and roughly 100 calories per dish. According to Harvard University, vitamin A is a great source to stimulate healthy white blood cells 7. When cooked, Japanese purple sweet potatoes become deliciously sweet and creamy with nutty overtones. There are a few things you should consider before substituting these vegetables in recipes. What's the Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams? The primary difference between oat bran and oatmeal is how each is made. To settle the debate at least in regard to which potato is the healthier option we turn to registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD. Golden Sweet - Mid-season. Their moist flesh is good for baking, mashing, or frying. Andrews finds the purple variety to have a bit of a nutty taste, so she recommends roasting purple sweet potatoes whole and sprinkling with salt, pepper and turmeric. Roasting, frying or sauting purple sweet potatoes can help to keep that gorgeous color from bleeding out when cooking. I asked them which one do they prefer the taste of. One group compared the glycemic index and load of sweet potatoes vs. potatoes. Most of the worlds yams are grown in in Africa and Asia, and they are actually quite hard to find in the US. Beta carotene and vitamin A. Nutrition: Like the Hannah, Okinawa sweet potatoes are denser than orange varieties. Slower digesting than oats, therefore providing a longer lasting supply of energy. This is a good choice of vegetable to add to stews or you can roast the sweet potatoes in the oven. This variety is also called the soft sweet potato and has reddish-brown skin with bright, orange flesh. Let's take a look at the nutrients contained in each potato. Redear sunfish is the L.microlophus and bluegill is, Read More Bluegill vs Redear Sunfish Are They The Same? When you visit the oat aisle in the supermarket, you may be overwhelmed choosing from many different options. They are easier to find online. NUTRITION Data from Whole Foods. Increased cooking times is recommended for purple. Sweet potatoes are native to tropical countries in Central and South America. However, it is not related to the potato plant Solanum tuberosum as their composition of simple sugars and complex starches is pretty different. One medium, 5-inch sweet potato, cooked, provides 23.6 grams or 8 percent of your daily value (DV) for carbs, according to the USDA. Which Is Healthier? In the south, they're often favored for side dishes and desserts. Covingtons have a moist and creamy texture with a malty sweet flavor when cooked. They are both good to eat as a part of a healthy . The sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas) is an underground tuber. They are native to Polynesia and the Central and South America region, domesticated more than 5,000 years ago, and grown worldwide today. One type of sweet potato popular in the southern states in the U.S. is the White Delight variety. It is, after all, my favorite fall vegetable. They also provide some calcium, iron, magnesium, and folate. Korean sweet potatoes are some of the best examples of these Asian vegetables. Coat potatoes in ghee, lay flat on a sheet pan. There are a few varieties of sweet potatoes that are sold as Cordner cultivars. Purple flesh: These potatoes have a buff-colored skin and include the Okinawan sweet potato. In addition to coaching clients about them, Ive purchased, researched and consumed both prior to, during and after writing this article. It comes from an antioxidant called anthocyanin, which is colored water-soluble pigments that can give plants, fruits, and other vegetables their rich coloring. Although the carbs in sweet potatoes are complex and raises blood sugar more slowly. Hi y'all!! Those have both names on the label but are not yams. Purple sweet have a rich taste with a wine-like flavor. For this reason many people ask, which sweet potato is healthier? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Red Bliss potato is a waxy potato, which means it has a high moisture content and keeps its shape while cooking. These orange-fleshed sweet potatoes pack a lot of moisture, and take well to boiling, baking, and making into casseroles. With only 103 calories in a whole, cooked sweet potato, there is no fat or cholesterol unless you smother your potato with butter or sour cream. Purple sweet potatoes have a beige outer skin with a purple flesh inside. Because of their denseness, these sweet potatoes take longer than some other varieties to cook, but the wait is well worth it. While both potatoes are rich in vitamin C, copper, vitamin B6, fiber, and potassium, potatoes are ahead in manganese, and sweet potatoes are ahead in iron. They are delicious when baked, mashed, pureed or whipped. Japanese sweet potatoes are also great for gnocchi because they are low in moisture. The conclusions suggested that supplementing magnesium in people with physical and mental stress can help relieve restlessness, irritability, depression, lack of concentration or insomnia. Japanese sweet potatoes are my favorite, so delicious! Covingtons have a distinct rose-colored skin that is often speckled with small spots and super sweet firm, dense bright orange flesh that stays vibrant when cooked. This is the most common sweet potato variety in American grocery stores, and the one you'll find at pretty much every market. (8). Theyre both lower-calorie, low-fat foods that are rich in: Heres a side-by-side nutritional comparison. *Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Finish with a drizzle of tahini, or like me the dried crumbly bits at the bottom of the jar. All types of sweet potatoes offer 5 percent of your daily value for protein per serving, along with a significant source of dietary fiber 3.8 grams, or 15 percent of the DV needed for keeping your digestive system functioning properly and helping to prevent constipation. Sweet potatoes varieties have white flesh or orange flesh, and, there are even some varieties with purple flesh. TASTE Very sweet and fairly firm inside. All that nutrition with no real toxicity makes these colorful root veggies a delicious addition to any Paleo meal. Vigorous vines, normal leaf, golden orange skin, creamy yellow flesh, above average yield. Available year-round, they have purple-tinted skin with a deep purple flesh that intensifies when cooked. Popular varieties of soft sweet potatoes are the Jewel Yam and Garnet Yam. Find out how white sweet potatoes compared in my comparison article. The more intense the color of the sweet potatoes, the more Contains carotenoids and anthocyanins. Everyone loves the sweet, caramelized flavor of a sweet potato, and its health benefits make this spud a spectacular addition to your diet. It is in the percentage or quantity of antioxidants that sweet potatoes are much ahead of potatoes. Olive oil is better than soybean oil due to its higher percentage of minerals, antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated, Read More Olive Oil vs Soybean Oil: Which of the Oils is Better?Continue. Sweet Potato vs Yam Nutrition and Benefit Differences, Kevin Garce is a Certified Health Coach who encourages people by informing them on nutrition and food topics important to them. If youre interested about how pumpkin compared for health and nutrition, check out my article here. Fat: 0 g. Total carbs: 24 g. Fiber: 4 g. Sugar: 7 g. Protein: 2 g. Sweet potatoes are also high in vitamin A (more than 400% of the daily requirement), vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium and manganese. Please note though, the type of vitamin A is betacarotene, and only a small percentage is actually converted to retinol, the usable form of vitamin A. However, this changes to an intense violet-purple, almost deep blue color when cooked. In addition to being a potent antioxidant, anthocyanins may possess anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial effects, in addition to helping to protect against obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to a study published in Food and Nutrition Research in August 2017. They're perfect for roasting whole or sliced into fries. Bottom line: The glycemic index misses a lot of important information. Other nutrients like the antioxidant anthocyanin and vitamin C possess anti-inflammatory properties protecting against disease and illness. (2). Adirondack Blue Potato Skin Color: Dark purple skin. One of the ways that Korean sweet potatoes differ from American varieties is that their flesh is denser and they taste sweeter. The purple color is not manufactured but an entirely natural process. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Sweet Potato vs. Butternut Squash: A Comparison. 17. A Matter of Nutrition: Sweet Potato vs Potato. There are two main common variations of purple sweet potato. Your body converts the beta carotene into off-the-charts levels of vitamin A. Various types of sweet potatoes are very versatile when it comes to cooking. Ive shed sugar from my diet for months, and taken long (okay, long-ish) breaks from drinking. The flesh is dryer in texture and tastes starchier than other types. Okinawa sweet potatoes, also known by their Japanese name, beni-imo, have unremarkable off-white or dusty purple skins, but once you slice into them, you're greeted by a rich and vibrant purple flesh rarely seen in nature. Yukon Gold, white potatoes, and purple . The following are the amounts and nutrients per one cup: Lets now talk about a couple of nutrient differences between an orange sweet potato and a purple sweet potato. Another type of sweet potato not to be confused with regular potatoes is the OHenry cultivar. I roast them in a scorching-hot oventhough science (and our culinary team) advises against thisuntil the skin turns to a crinkly leather and the interior is a gooey, steaming mess of bubbling sugars and chewy flesh. The texture is dry but slightly creamy. Also known as the Hawaiian sweet potato or the Uala, this purple tuber has light brown skin and purple flesh. Interestingly, they can come in various varieties, each having different flavors, sizes, shapes, textures, and firmness. Their bright orange color isn't the only reason we've been led to believe that sweet potatoes are healthier than white potatoes. With only 103 calories in a whole, cooked sweet potato, there is no fat or cholesterol unless you smother your potato with butter or sour cream. Yams have toxic and rough skin that is more difficult to peel, while sweet potato skin is edible, smooth, and easy to peel. If you spend any time in Hawaii, you'll find these sweet potatoes incorporated into some of the most delicious potato salads around, dressed generously with my favorite condiment: mayonnaise. Find out about the different types of sweet potatoes like Jewel, Garnett and Japanese as well as how they differ in taste and texture, and how to cook them. These orange sweet potatoes have a deliciously sweet taste and a rosy-pink skin. The average price for sweet potatoes is $0.99 per pound. Sweet potato Firm sweet potato with golden skin and lighter flesh. For example, the Okinawa purple sweet potato variety from Japan has beige skin and dark purple flesh. The confusion comes from an unfortunate attempt to distinguish between varieties of these root veggies hundreds of years ago. Hannah sweet potatoes have semi-smooth tan skin with shallow eyes, cream-colored flesh and a cylindrical, oblong shape with rounded tapered ends. In 100g of sweet potato there are about 20g carbs, 1.6g protein and 86 calories. SKIN Cream colored and pretty smooth. The dense flesh holds up well during cooking and its sweet orange flesh makes delicious sweet potato wedges. Both are considered root vegetables, meaning the part of the plant you eat grows beneath the soil. Compared to regular potatoes, sweet potatoes have an irregular, long oblong shape. The Carolina Ruby sweet potato is a cultivar that was developed using Beauregards. One popular type of heirloom sweet potato is Envy. This heritage sweet potato variety has light orange skin and flesh of a similar color. From the findings of the study, researchers concluded that purple sweet potato antioxidants boosted DNA synthesis and maintained cell survival and division. Although some people think sweet potatoes and yams are the same thing, yams come from a completely different plant related to grasses and lilies. To conduct original research, I decided to visit a few local supermarkets and compare the prices of each one. I quickly learned that there isnt a universal cooking method that suits all varietiesthere are thousands of sweet potato varietals out there, and knowing what youre in for in terms of taste and texture for a few of the most common varieties will help set you on the path to sweet, sweet bliss.