Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog: Food Network's Healthy Eats: Healthy Recipes, Weight Loss Tips & Nutrition Information

Any carb-o-phobe will tell you to choose sweet potatoes over white ones, but is that sound nutrition advice? We’ve put these tubers head-to-head; find out which comes out on top.

Sweet Potato
A medium-sized baked sweet potato has 102 calories, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber and no fat or cholesterol. It’s also rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene and contains a small amount of vitamin C. Sweet potatoes are also loaded with potassium and vitamin B6.

Baked, roasted, mashed, added to chili or pureed into soup – adding sweet potatoes to your meals can help you stay satisfied and provide you with a hefty dose of nutrients.

White Potato
An equal-sized white potato has about 120 calories, 28 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of both fiber and protein, and is also free of fat and cholesterol. As for vitamins and minerals, white potatoes are stuffed with vitamins C, B6, niacin, folate, potassium, manganese, magnesium and phosphorus.

Just like sweet potatoes, white potatoes make an easy and delicious side dish all by themselves. They’re also wonderful in classic comfort foods like Shepherd’s pie and potato pancakes.

Healthy Eats Winner: We’ve got to call this one a tie. Both of these root veggies have a WAY too much to offer.

Tell Us: Who gets your vote? Sweet or white potatoes?

Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition. See Dana’s full bio »