With the difficulties of the diet industry, it's good to find foods that are naturally healthy and can be used in every day dishes. This is great for health and weight loss. The Yam Noodle has recently been discovered in the U.S. and is better known as the Shirataki Noodle. Made from the flower of the Konjac plant, it's sometimes referred to as the Elephant Yam. These noodles are calorie and carb free. They can replace pasta in recipes removing unwanted glucose and extra starches.
The noodle is a powerhouse of soluble fiber. The glucomannan fiber base of manose and sucrose sugars, becomes an emollient mass slowing digestion and improving metabolic function. For those concerned with weight or even cholesterol, the yam noodle's fiber content aides in weight loss and lowering cholesterol. Its Atkins approved, and this pasta substitute has zero points if you're counting points for other popular diets.
Powdered yam flour is used to make the noodles. It's actually the dried root of the Konjac plant. Not an actual tuber, the yam in Asia has been a main staple of their diets for centuries. It can make more than just yam noodles. It can be used to make jelly that is also known as Snake Palm or Voodoo Lily. A native perennial of Asia, the yam has been used in several "cooler" noodle dishes in the warm summer months. It is available anytime and for any season.
The noodle is versatile which is beneficial for those with busy lives. It can also be beneficial for those using it to lose weight. When it's combined with exercise, it's a great weight loss tool. They are easy to prepare. All you do is rinse thoroughly and boil them for a few minutes. They can be added to any entree to bring more flavor to a dish.
The yam noodle will provide better absorption of nutrients and can increase your stamina and durability during workouts, making the most of your workout time. If you include vegetables with your noodles, you can increase the health benefits and boost the body's fat burning power.
Several recipes for these noodles are popping up all over the Internet and are quickly becoming popular. Several health and weight loss blogs have been boasting about the Shirataki or yam noodle and its versatility. They can replace traditional pasta dishes and can reduce binge eating. These noodles help satisfy hunger usually felt on restrictive diets. Foods that fill dieters and help with weight loss are always a necessity. With the internet and several markets available, these popular Asian noodles are right at your fingertips.
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People tell me that they know that sweet potatoes are healthier than white potatoes as if it's an accepted fact. Whenever I'm not aware of something that's apparently an established fact, I feel the need to either get caught up on this obvious information or else to find out why this commonly held belief is actually not true.
In order to do this, I decided to do some research.
I needed to find out which potato was actually healthier.
It seemed the easiest way to compare the two types of potatoes was to make a chart to compare them side by side; so here's a handy chart I made to compare the two:
Nutrients... White Potatoes... Sweet Potatoes
Calories... 94... 90
Protein... 2.1g... 2.01g
Carbs... 21.08g... 20.71g
Fiber... 2.1g... 3.3g
Iron... 0.64mg... 0.69mg
Potassium... 544mg... 475mg
Vitamin C... 12.6mg... 19.6mg
Vitamin A... 10 IU... 19,218 IU
Oh, by the way, this is comparing a 100 gram serving of white baked potato with its skin on, to a 100 gram serving of baked sweet potato with its skin on. This information is from the USDA website (Basic Report, Potatoes, white), (Basic Report, Sweet).
You have to be really careful if you're trying to compare these two types of potatoes by the size of the actual whole potato because a medium sized sweet potato weighs 114 grams and a medium sized white potato weights 173 grams. Instead of using size to compare, it's better to use weight.
Breaking it down:
Let's start with the two numbers people want to know first: calories and carbs. As you can see, the calories are almost identical. There are about 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat so a difference of 4 calories isn't going to matter much either way. How about carbs? One gram of carbohydrates equals about 4 calories, so again, either potato will give you about the same amount.
Now here are the two biggest differences. The first is potassium. If you think of potassium, you probably think of bananas. Well, get this: 100 grams of banana has 358 mg of potassium. Sweet potatoes top bananas with 475 mg of potassium and white potatoes go a step higher with 544 mg! However, most people get enough potassium just from eating a variety of healthy foods so you'll probably get enough of this vital mineral without having to rely on eating potatoes all the time.
And now for the biggie! Vitamin A! What an incredible difference between white potato's 10 IU of vitamin A and sweet potato's 19,218 IU of vitamin A! What does vitamin A do, exactly? It supports your growth and development, helps your immune system, and aids your eye health/night vision. You know how you're supposed to eat carrots for night vision? Well, 100 grams of boiled carrots has 17,033 IU of vitamin A, so it actually has less than sweet potatoes. But before you put them on your list of foods to eat every day, here's something you should know. Most people already get enough vitamin A just from eating a variety of healthy foods. So, with both potassium and vitamin A, if you eat healthy foods, you should be getting all the nutrients you need without having to resort to eating huge amounts of either type of potato. (Vitamin A and Bone Health, 2012).
The Bottom Line:
The calorie, carb, and protein amounts are almost the same in both potatoes. While white potatoes have more potassium and sweet potatoes have more vitamin A, you can get sufficient amounts of these nutrients from eating other healthy foods too. So, don't worry about which one to choose. Both of these potatoes are healthy! Enjoy them both.
References:
NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases. (2012, January). Vitamin A and Bone Health. Retrieved from http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Nutrition/vitamin_a.asp
USDA. Basic Report: 11357, Potatoes, white, flesh and skin, baked. Retrieved from http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3132?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=25&sort=&qlookup=potatoes
USDA. Basic Report: 11508, Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, without salt. Retrieved from ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3255?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=75&sort=&qlookup=potatoes
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