Sweet Potato Fries: Are They Really Any Better for You?

By , SparkPeople Blogger
Do you have sweet potato on the brain like we do? I've been eating them in every way possible this fall: Cut into wedges and roasted with spices; baked in foil and smothered with cinnamon and pecans; even blended up into smoothies! One my favorite treats is a piping hot batch of sweet potato fries. You've heard time and time again that sweet potatoes are full of good-for-you nutrients, but does that hold true when they're sliced up and fried? What do you think: Is there really that big of a difference between regular French fries and sweet potato fries? We're putting Ore Ida's Sweet Potato Fries and Golden Fries (regular French fries) head to head to find out the answer!

The Winner: It's a Tie!

 
First, let's check out the nutrition information for both spuds, from the Ore Ida website:
 
Golden Fries                                                                           
Serving Size: 84g
Servings Per Container: About 11
Amount Per Serving
Calories 130 Calories from Fat 30
  % Daily Value *
Total Fat 3.5g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 0  
Cholesterol 0 0%
Sodium 290mg 13%
Potassium 390mg 10%
Total Carbohydrates 21g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars <1g  
   
Protein 2g  
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 0%
Iron 2%
  
 
Sweet Potato Fries
Serving Size: 84g
Servings Per Container: About 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories 160 Calories from Fat 70
  % Daily Value *
Total Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 0.5g 3%
Trans Fat 0  
Cholesterol 0 0%
Sodium 160mg 8%
Potassium 280mg 8%
Total Carbohydrates 21g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2g 10%
Sugars 6g  
   
Protein 1g  
Vitamin A 50%
Vitamin C 4%
Calcium 2%
Iron 4%
 
 
It looks like the sweet potato fries have 30 more calories than the regular fries per serving, as well as 4.5 more grams of fat. However, the sweet potato fries also have 50% more vitamin A than the regular fries, with 130 fewer mg of sodium. Also notice that both varieties of fries have the same amount of fiber (2 grams). Both potatoes and sweet potatoes get most of their fiber from the skin, which is often sliced off in commercially-prepared fries. With skin, sweet potatoes have just slightly more fiber than regular potatoes.

Want to make healthy sweet potato fries at home? Try this baked version!
 
Which do you prefer: Regular fries or sweet potato fries?