Boiled and baked sweet potatoes are great for weight loss, as they have only 76 and 90 calories per 100 g, respectively. In contrast, french fried sweet potatoes and sweet potato chips are particularly high in calories.
How many calories are in baked sweet potatoes?
Actually, sweet potatoes are low in calories. They’re great food for weight loss.
Baked sweet potatoes have 90 calories per 100 g. This is equivalent to half a cup of mashed sweet potato. A medium baked sweet potato has about 103 calories.[1]
Boiled sweet potatoes or sweet potatoes cooked in an air fryer have even fewer calories, as they contain more water. They have only 76 calories per 100 g. Actually, they have 18% fewer calories, as compared to baked sweet potatoes.
Foods high in water, such as watermelon, cucumber, or tomato, tend to be low in calories. They support hydration as well. We should consume them regularly during the summer.
What’s the calorie content of french fried sweet potatoes?
French fried sweet potatoes are pretty high in calories. They have 182 calories per 100 g. 100 g are equivalent to 24 fries.[2]
All french fries are particularly high in calories because vegetable oils are among the most calorie-dense foods. All vegetable oils are 100% fat. Just a tbsp provides almost 125 calories! Another extremely fattening food is butter. It’s 100% fat as well.
1 g of fat provides 9 calories, while 1 g of protein or carbohydrate provides only 4 calories. Therefore, if you want to lose weight, you shouldn’t consume too many foods high in fat. We need fat, but not too much. The best sources of fat are seeds and nuts.
Sweet potato chips are high in calories
If you want to maintain a healthy body weight, better avoid consuming too many sweet potato chips, though. Sweet potato chips are a super fattening snack. They contain 532 calories per 100 g, or 181 calories per package (34 g).[3]
Even homemade sweet potato chips are high in calories. They contain almost no water, while they’re high in fat and carbs.
Are sweet potatoes good for weight loss?
Boiled or baked sweet potatoes are good for losing weight. They’re low in calories, and can keep us full for a long time. Most noteworthy, sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, which are beneficial for health and a good metabolism.
In fact, they’re particularly high in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, as well as dietary fiber.
