How Unhealthy Are French Fries Compared to Sweet Potatoes? Calories and Nutrition

French fries are a popular appetizer and side dish. Sweet potato fries do have some advantages over traditional French fries.

French fries are a popular appetizer and side dish at many restaurants, especially bars and fast food joints. This versatile food appeals to children and adults alike. However, many people believe that French fries' calories and sodium content make them too unhealthy for regular consumption. 

In response to these worries, some restaurants have added sweet potato fries to their menus as an alternative to traditional French fries. Sweet potato fries are commonly advertised as healthier than French fries, but are they really? 

Read on to learn about the differences between these two popular foods. 

French fries are crispy, golden brown strips of potato flavored with salt and other spices. They are one of the most popular foods in America. Experts estimate that the average American eats 34 pounds of French fries annually. 

This food has mysterious origins. Some historians believe that French fries were invented in France, as the name suggests. However, others claim that this dish was first served in Belgium.  

Today, most French fries are made using Russet potatoes, especially the Russet Burbank variety. American potato growers produce billions of pounds of this starchy vegetable each year. In 2017, the top three potato-producing states were Idaho (13.5 billion pounds), Washington (10 billion pounds), and Wisconsin (3 billion pounds). A third of all potatoes produced in America get turned into frozen French fries. 

The process of making French fries involves a few simple steps: 

• Peel the skin from some potatoes.
• Slice the potatoes into long, skinny strips.
• Dry the potato strips.
• Flavor the potatoes using salt and spices.
• Bake or deep-fry the strips until they are crispy. 

You can buy French fries at your local grocery store or fresh-made from restaurants across America. This popular food comes in many shapes, including curly, steak-cut, and shoestring. Each type has a different texture and level of crispiness. 

Fast food restaurants make French fries by deep frying potato slices in cooking oils made from canola, corn, peanut, soybean, or sunflower. These oils get partially absorbed by the fries during the frying process, though, which can add harmful saturated fats to your meal (oven-cooked French fries have slightly less fat than deep-fried versions, though). 

As the name suggests, sweet potato fries are made using sweet potatoes instead of Russet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are not actually true potatoes. They’re edible roots that generally have dark skins and bright orange insides. 

As with French fries, cooks or manufacturers typically slice, peel, blanch, dry, and fry sweet potatoes.

French fry calorie counts vary depending on several factors, including portion size, preparation method, and added condiments. Here, though, are the approximate calories for typical portions of fast food fries made with vegetable oil: 

• Small serving (71 g): 222 kcal  
• Medium serving (117 g): 365 kcal 
• Large serving (154 g): 480 kcal 

Depending on your age and activity level, a serving of French fries can make up a significant portion of your daily calorie needs. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 recommends that women aged 19 to 30 consume 1,800 to 2,400 calories daily, while men in this age group should consume 2,400 to 3,000 calories. 

Using these guidelines, a large serving of French fries would make up approximately 25% of a woman’s daily calorie requirements and 16% of a man’s. So, if you want to treat yourself to French fries, sticking to modest portions can prevent you from accidentally consuming too many calories. 

Adding condiments to your French fries can also pile on the calories. Here are the calories in one serving of common French fry dips: 

• Barbecue sauce (2 tbsp): 69.9 kcal
• Honey mustard (2 tbsp): 130 kcal
• Ranch dressing (2 tbsp): 140 kcal
• Ketchup (17g): 20 kcal

Choosing low-calorie ketchup as your dipping sauce can help decrease the number of calories that you consume while eating French fries. 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a small, 71 g serving of fast-food French fries contains these nutrients, among others: 

• Protein: 2.44 g
• Lipids (fat): 10.4 g
• Carbohydrates: 29.4 g 
• Dietary fiber: 2.7 g
• Sodium: 149 mg

French fries contain a significant number of carbohydrates. These molecules provide energy to your body, but too many carbohydrates can cause high glucose levels and lead to type 2 diabetes.

This food also contains a large portion of fat, including 4.24 g of monounsaturated fats and 1.66 g of saturated fats. Monounsaturated fats can help lower your risk of health disease, but saturated fats can raise cholesterol levels. More often than not, limit foods without saturated fats to protect your cardiovascular health. 

French fries also contain high quantities of sodium. Unfortunately, consuming too much sodium can increase your blood pressure, raise your risk of stroke, and even weaken your bones by pulling calcium from them. 

Still, despite these unhealthy qualities, French fries do have a few health benefits. Because this food is made from potatoes, they are a good source of several essential vitamins and minerals, including: 

• Calcium: 12.8 mg. Your body uses this mineral to maintain bone and tooth strength, keep your blood pressure stable, and transmit messages to your nerves. 
• Magnesium: 24.8 mg. This mineral helps enzymes function, strengthens your bones, and regulates blood pressure and glucose levels. 
• Phosphorus: 88.8 mg. Your body uses phosphorus to keep your bones, cell membranes, heart, muscles, and other areas healthy.  
• Potassium: 411 mg. This mineral aids muscle contractions, keeps fluid levels stable, and maintains a regular heartbeat. 

Of course, these essential minerals don’t necessarily make French fries a healthy food. Because of the high amounts of carbohydrates, fats, and sodium in French fries, you should not make this food a regular part of your diet. 

Sweet potato fries do have some advantages over traditional French fries. A 100 g serving of sweet potato fries contains these nutrients: 

• Lipids (fat): 5.95 g
• Carbohydrates: 28.57 g
• Calcium: 24 mg 
• Potassium: 286 mg 
• Sodium: 202 mg 
• Vitamin A: 3571 IU 

Sweet potato fries have fewer total lipid fats than French fries and contain virtually no saturated fats. If you need to closely monitor your cholesterol levels, sweet potato fries can be a healthier choice than French fries. 

These fries are also an excellent source of vitamin A. Your body uses these fat-soluble compounds to maintain the proper function of your eyes, immune system, skin, and other organs. Vitamin A can also be used to treat many diseases, like acute promyelocytic leukemia, skin conditions, and retinitis pigmentosa. 

However, sweet potato fries contain similar amounts of carbohydrates and sodium when compared to traditional French fries. In other words, while they may be a healthier alternative to salty fast-food fries, they also have some downsides if you eat them in large quantities. 

The next time you choose a side for your burger, picking sweet potato fries can be a better choice than regular French fries. Still, it would be best to eat all fries in moderation and with healthy dipping sauces so that you don’t accidentally consume too many carbohydrates and calories. 

Armed with the proper knowledge, you can likely treat yourself to crispy, delicious fries on occasion without hurting your health.