According to nutrition experts, the real story isn’t about choosing one potato over the other—it’s about how you cook them and why your gut actually benefits from them.
Both sweet and white potatoes contain fibre and resistant starch, a special type of carbohydrate that escapes digestion in the small intestine. Instead of raising blood sugar quickly, resistant starch reaches the colon, where it becomes fuel for beneficial gut bacteria.
As these bacteria ferment resistant starch, they produce short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate. These compounds:
Strengthen the gut lining
Reduce inflammation
Support immune health
Improve metabolic function
Lower the risk of colon-related disorders
This makes potatoes a natural prebiotic food, helping beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium, and Akkermansia thrive.
Sweet potatoes stand out for their higher fibre content, which promotes regular bowel movements and supports a diverse gut microbiome. They are also rich in antioxidants such as beta-carotene and anthocyanins, which help combat oxidative stress and inflammation.
Cooking tip:
Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene than baking and makes them softer and easier to digest—especially helpful for people with sensitive stomachs or gut issues.
White potatoes are often dismissed, but they provide potassium, clean energy, and resistant starch when prepared simply. Problems arise when they’re over-processed.
Unhealthy methods such as deep frying or high-temperature roasting can:
Destroy resistant starch
Increase fat absorption
Spike blood sugar
Reduce micronutrient value
Gut-friendly choice: boiled, steamed, or lightly baked white potatoes—especially when cooled and reheated, which boosts resistant starch levels.
There’s no need to pit sweet potatoes against white potatoes. Both can support digestion and gut health when cooked wisely and eaten in moderation.
The real enemy isn’t the potato—it’s ultra-processing.
In an era of carb fear and diet fads, the humble potato proves a powerful point: smart cooking beats carb avoidance. A simple boiled potato may be one of the most underrated gut-friendly foods on your plate.
