![]() Get Carb Counts & Track Macros With The Easy Keto App.But while sweet potatoes have more calories, that’s because they are packed with greater amounts of carbohydrates, protein, and fats (all necessary parts of your diet). However, when pumpkin is out of its natural pie habitat, it’s definitely lower in sugar than sweet potatoes (a win for pumpkin!). They’re equal in potassium, an essential mineral that helps muscles contract and supports normal blood pressure. These classic pie fillings may look similar but diverge nutritionally in most respects. Winner: Sweet potato (seeing a theme?) How do the rest of their nutrients stand up? ![]() That should be enough to encourage you to load up your plate at Thanksgiving! Beyond your gut, high fiber diets are also associated with a reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. With 8.2 grams of fiber in one cup of sweet potato, this veggie does a bit more heavy lifting than one cup of pumpkin, which only contains 3 grams of fiber. When only 5% of Americans meet the recommended fiber intake, going for sweet potatoes can help nudge you in the right direction. “Good sources of fiber encourage a healthy gut microbiota and promote bowel health,” Jones explains. Yet sweet potato knocks pumpkin out of the park with one cup providing 774% of vitamin A and 53% of vitamin C. “One cup of cooked pumpkin contains 245% RDI (recommended daily intake) of vitamin A and 19% RDI of vitamin C,” says Jones. Speaking of vitamin A, both sweet potato and pumpkin are rich in vitamins that help boost your immunity. Winner: Sweet potato Immunity-boosting vitamins One cup of cooked sweet potato (328 g) has 31,000 micrograms-that’s 25,860 more than its counterpart! The bright orange sweet potato is also incredibly high in beta-carotene. Research from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has shown that pumpkins have more beta-carotene than many other foods in the average pantry, with one cooked cup (245 g) containing 5,140 micrograms. “Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases as well as some degenerative aspects of aging.” “A diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protection against heart disease,” explains Jones. Beyond its pretty color, this carotenoid is a rich antioxidant that has a host of benefits. High amounts of beta-carotene-the yellow-orange pigment that gives fruits and vegetables their vibrant color-are found in both pumpkins and sweet potatoes. When you look closely at both foods, you’ll find that while you can’t go wrong, one has a bit of an edge. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play How the pumpkin vs. ![]() From the culinary perspective, a pumpkin is much closer to a sweet potato than it is to an apple or pear. As with squash, tomatoes, and other fruits we typically cook, pumpkins are more savory than sweet and are often placed in the vegetable category. “A pumpkin is technically a fruit because it’s a product of the seed-bearing structure of flowering plants,” says Jerlyn Jones, an R.D.N in Atlanta. But strangely, pumpkins are a bit more ambiguous in terms of where they fall for classification. It’s no mystery that these dark-orange tubes are root vegetables. Strolling through a farmers’ market, you may notice a bit of dirt caked onto the piles of sweet potatoes. First, what kind of food are sweet potatoes and pumpkins, anyway? Find out what they’ll do for you and which one is the ultimate nutrition champ. ![]() While neither pumpkins nor sweet potatoes make the “superfood” cut, research shows that their nutritional makeup provides certain exceptional health benefits. Well, if you’re a health junkie or simply want some science to back you up in the kitchen, there is a nutritional winner between these two hardy fall favorites. Whichever you end up eating, they’re both orange, sweet, and delicious. It’s the age-old fall dinner party debate–who’s bringing the pie this year? Some families stand by pumpkin, and others prefer the naturally sugary sweet potato.
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