I don't think white potatoes are 'bad', just sweet potatoes are deemed better, thats all. I'm guessing the original recommendation to Helly's dad to go for sweet poatoes over regular was because he sounds like a larger chap and so if sweet potatoes have a lowert GI they have less of an effect on blood glucose levels and the GP is thinking of diabetes, but I personally profess to having no expertise on the matter.
As it happens I recently had a look a the NHS choices website in relation to all the 5 a day guidelines
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/Whatcounts.aspxGenerally it says white potatoes don't count towards your 5 a day as they are mainly a starchy carb provider, but sweet potatoes do, and it seems to say thats because they are usually eaten in addition to the starchy foods part of the meal.
I found this a bit confusing, do they only count as a 5 a day if I ate sweet potatoes at the same time as eating white potatoes too? If potatoes are mainly for starch, and if I was already getting starch/carbs from white potatoes I'd have thought eating more strach and carbs would make them less likely to classed towards your 5 a day, not more? Maybe Billy Bob Thornton thought if he ate nothing but potatoes there would be an accumalative effect and eventually he'd reach 5 a day levels
I pinged off an email to ask why sweet potatoes were deemed better than regular potatoes, and amid the response that came back was 'The nutritional value of sweet potatoes are generally higher and they have a lower glycaemic index', so although they both seem high on the GI index sweet potatoes have slightly lower GI? Seems contradictory to what been said on here already, but I'm easily confused so maybe its just me
Incidentally the reply that came back did not quote the persons job title or qualifications, just that she worked in the Diet and Obesity, Health and Wellbeing Team of Public Health England.
