By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
When I was growing up, I couldn’t understand why my mother disdained white potatoes. She strongly preferred the taste of sweet potatoes and would only occasionally make baked potatoes or use a package of instant mashed potatoes. In contrast, I was a white potato fan, although I never cared for instant mashed potatoes.
I was reminded of the potato debate of my childhood when I started reading about the “Healthful Plant-Based Diet Index,“ which is used in epidemiology research. The creators of this index classify sweet potatoes as healthy plant foods and potatoes as less healthy plant foods (1). The less healthy plant foods group also includes fruit juice, refined grains, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets, and desserts – not exactly illustrious company. I wondered if their categorization of potatoes as less healthy plant foods was based on fried potatoes. Indeed, French fries and potato chips are included in the potato category but so are baked and mashed potatoes (1).
Are potatoes truly a “less healthy plant food”? The answer seems to depend on what they are being compared to and, to some extent, on how they are prepared. Several studies find that higher consumption of “potatoes,” which includes both baked and fried potatoes, is associated with greater long-term weight gain (2) and a modest increase in risk of type 2 diabetes (3) and hypertension (4). In all of these studies, French fries had a greater effect on risk than did mashed or baked potatoes. There was still a statistically significant higher risk of health effects in those eating more mashed or baked potatoes compared to those who ate less (2-4).
In contrast, other studies do not find an association between the amount of potatoes that people eat and their risk of heart disease (5), hypertension (6), or mortality (7).
Potatoes are known to have a high glycemic Index which means that they are more likely to lead to increased blood glucose levels. They are often eaten fried or with butter or sour cream. On the positive side, they are a good source of potassium and of vitamin C and are a low-fat food if eaten unadorned.
Based on what I’ve read about potatoes, there’s no reason to avoid eating them. Eat reasonable amounts, mix it up so that sometimes you eat potatoes and sometimes whole grains or other carb sources including sweet potatoes, choose baked or mashed potatoes over fries, and think about what you’re putting on them.
So, my mother was on the right track – sweet potatoes are nutritional superheroes providing lots of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and potassium. I’ve grown to appreciate them. Still, when I want a comfort food, I turn to a baked potato with a little vegan butter and nutritional yeast.
For recipes using potatoes and sweet potatoes see:
Sweet and Savory Sweet Potatoes
References
1. Satija A, Bhupathiraju SN, Rimm EB, et al. Plant-based dietary patterns and incidence of type 2 diabetes in US men and women: Results from three prospective cohort studies. PLoS Med. 2016;13(6):e1002039.
2. Mozaffarian D, Hao T, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB. Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. N Engl J Med. 2011;364:2392-2404.
3. Halton TL, Willett WC, Liu S, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB. Potato and french fry consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83:284-290.
4. Borgi L, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Forman JP. Potato intake and incidence of hypertension: results from three prospective US cohort studies. BMJ. 2016;353:i2351.
5. Larsson SC, Wolk A. Potato consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: 2 prospective cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;104:1245-1252.
6. Hu EA, Martínez-González MA, Salas-Salvadó J, et al. Potato consumption does not increase blood pressure or incident hypertension in 2 cohorts of Spanish adults. J Nutr. 2017;147:2272-2281.
7. Hashemian M, Murphy G, Etemadi A, et al. Potato consumption and the risk of overall and cause specific mortality in the NIH-AARP study. PLoS One. 2019;14(5):e0216348