Which is the winner then? The information gathered leads us to a conclusion that rice, especially brown or parboiled kind (white one with added nutrients) is a better choice than potatoes thanks to its high vitamin content and low glycemic index.
Overall, potatoes contain more vitamins and nutrients than rice, but when you add toppings such as butter, sour cream, gravy, bacon bits and salt, the number of calories and fat grams in a baked potato increases significantly.
Potatoes are the healthier option in terms of macronutrients since they are lower in calories and fat and higher in fiber, while containing about the same amount of protein as white rice.
Interestingly, potatoes are not only rich in complex carbohydrates but are also more nutrient-dense (a wide variety of minerals, vitamins, and micronutrients) as compared to white rice and white pasta. In addition, potatoes provide large amounts of fiber and are more satiating than other carbohydrate sources.
In fact, potato is actually packed with nutrients that make it an ideal weight loss food. Dietician Garima Goyal told HT Digital that potatoes are high in fibre as well as resistant starch and can keep one full for longer periods. She says that it could prevent overeating.
Potatoes are considered a starchy vegetable and a healthy carb. They're high in fiber (when including the skin), low in calories, and include vitamins and minerals. Most potato varieties have a higher glycemic index (GI).
A new study suggests incorporating potatoes into a healthy diet can be a safe choice for people with diabetes. Adults with type 2 diabetes who ate a mixed evening meal with skinless potatoes had a lower overnight blood glucose response compared to a meal with low-GI basmati rice.
calories. Brown rice is high in calories and russet potato has 36% less calories than brown rice - brown rice has 123 calories per 100 grams and russet potato has 79 calories. For macronutrient ratios, brown rice is lighter in carbs, heavier in fat and similar to russet potato for protein.
Carb Content in Rice and Potatoes
For example, common rice will have a higher carb content than baked potatoes. However, if you compare rice with sweet potatoes, rice will contain more carbs.
Carbs: Based on ½ cup serving of each, there are 23 grams of total carbs in white or brown rice vs 30 grams of total carbs in a potato and 12 grams of total carbs in a sweet potato. Sugar: One serving of potatoes contains two grams of sugar, which is the same as one serving of rice.
Baked, mashed, or boiled, potatoes actually provide more energy-delivering complex carbohydrates than a cup of pasta. All varieties--russet, red, yellow, purple, and sweet--contain impressive quantities of vitamins and minerals. Plus, they're easy to digest and prepare.
They're also chock full of starch, which is a carbohydrate. But even though a potato is considered a complex “healthy” carb, your body digests these carbs faster than other kinds of complex carbs. These broken-down carbs flood your blood with sugar. This makes your blood sugar spike quickly.
Can eating potatoes make you fat? Both potatoes and rice are complex carbohydrates and if eaten in moderation will not make you fat. They can, however, cause weight gain if they are cooked with butter, margarine, cream or any other fatty substance, instead of just boiled in water.
Boiled potatoes are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly potassium, phosphorus, B-complex vitamins and vitamin C. They are low in calories and fat, and their high fiber content helps you feel full. Contrary to popular belief, potatoes are not inherently fattening.
[1] However, potatoes don't count as a vegetable on Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate because they are high in the type of carbohydrate that the body digests rapidly, causing blood sugar and insulin to surge and then dip (in scientific terms, they have a high glycemic load).
1. Steaming or boiling rice is the best way of cooking them, due to the elimination of any high-fat vegetable oils. 2. Team your cooked rice with blanched or stir-fried high-fibre vegetables to make your meal more satiating and healthy.
Brown rice is generally more nutritious than white rice. It's higher in fiber, magnesium, and other nutrients, and it isn't artificially enriched with nutrients like white rice is. If you'd like to add rice to your diet but aren't sure if it's right for you, talk to your dietitian.
For lower calorie and carbohydrate content, rice comes out top. But if protein and fibre is your aim, pasta wins over rice. That said, both can play a part in a healthy diet - and as the nutritional differences are quite small, it often comes down to which you would prefer.
Technically, the traditional white potato contains all the essential amino acids you need to build proteins, repair cells, and fight diseases. And eating just five of them a day would get you there. However, if you sustained on white potatoes alone, you would eventually run into vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Potatoes for health and nutrition
In addition to starch, potatoes contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They're rich in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Potatoes were a life-saving food source in early times because the vitamin C prevented scurvy.