Carbohydrates are one of the most important macronutrients found in numerous popular foods across the world, both healthy and unhealthy.
Carbohydrates are digested by the body and turned into blood sugar, which is then, of course, used to fuel the body.
The only problem is, high carb intake has long been linked with weight issues, as well as a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, thanks to the considerable spike in blood sugar.
If you’re on a health kick, you’re likely trying your very best to cut out foods that are high in carbohydrates, which luckily tend to mostly be unhealthy and highly-processed foods.
However, you’ve found your way here because you’ve discovered that two healthy-eating staples, rice, and potatoes, are both high in carbohydrates!
Want to still enjoy one of these foods while also cutting down on carbs?
Then you’ll need to know which of the two has the lowest amount of them, so that you can cater your diet accordingly.
Luckily, you can find all of the answers you seek down below, because today we have put together this ultimate guide to help you to be informed!
Do Potatoes Have More Carbs Than Rice?
While it is difficult to say for certain which food has more carbohydrates within it, due to the fact that there are so many unique varieties of potatoes and rice, we can say that rice typically tends to contain slightly more carbohydrates!
This often surprises many people who generally assume that potatoes have more carbohydrates, but the reason why rice tends to have slightly more is because of the way it is consumed.
Rice, especially white rice, which has much of the nutritional content taken away, will tend to have a higher concentration of carbohydrates within every gram than a single potato does.
This means that even a small portion of rice will have a lot of carbs, and this concentration will increase with higher amounts of rice.
White rice tends to have around 7.1 grams more carbohydrates per 3.5 ounces of rice than a similar serving of a russet potato.
However, it is important to consider the amount of rice an individual may have, as they may serve up less rice than they would potatoes!
What Types Of Potatoes Have The Most Carbohydrates?
It’s difficult to say for certain which type of potato tends to have the highest concentration of carbohydrates, but easily one of the heaviest in terms of carbohydrates is the classic Russet potato which tends to have around 24 grams of carbohydrates within an individual potato.
The potato that is lowest in carbohydrates is the ‘Zerella’ variety, which has around 8.9 grams of carbohydrates for every 100 grams of the potato.
This can make Zerella potatoes a wonderful option for mixing into a salad, or otherwise implementing as part of a healthy menu
What Type Of Rice Has The Most Carbohydrates?
You might be surprised to learn that brown rice, which is rice in its most natural form before being refined, naturally has slightly more carbohydrates than white rice!
The reason why brown rice has more carbohydrates in it is that the rice still contains much more of its original content, such as its husk, the bran, and the germ, each of which will have its own carbohydrate content.
A third of a cup of brown rice will have around 17.05 grams of carbohydrates, while the same amount of white rice will contain around 14.84 grams of carbohydrates.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that brown rice will naturally have more nutritional content packed into it, to counteract the impact of the higher carbohydrates, thanks to continuing much of the original elements of the original grain.
Brown rice naturally has much more fiber, around 1.1 grams for a third of a cup of brown rice, whereas the same amount of white rice will contain around 0.2 grams of fiber!
Do Potatoes Have More Fiber Than Rice?
Yes, Potatoes actually do have more fiber than rice, which can make them a great option if you feel that you need to add more fiber to your diet!
However, in order to access this greater amount of fiber, you will need to make sure that you are eating the skins, as they are packed full of fiber. Try making some skin-on-fries of your own!
A Russet potato of around 100 grams, will have 2.1 grams of fiber, provided the skin is still attached.
In fact, sweet potatoes actually have more fiber, especially on their skins, with a 100-gram sweet potato having a carbohydrate concentration of around 3 grams!
Potatoes even have more fiber than brown rice, which can make it a particularly great source of fiber if you are trying to increase your intake.
Why Is Fiber Beneficial?
Fiber is a very important nutrient to get plenty of because it helps your body to regulate the amount of blood sugar that it creates, while also keeping your cholesterol low.
Of course, this has a massive impact on your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and also helps to counteract the effects of the high carbohydrate concentration found in your potatoes.
This also explains why fiber is so valuable in brown rice.
The fiber found in brown rice helps to balance the effects of the high carbohydrate content that is found in all rice, which explains why brown rice is the much healthier option!
Should You Try To Consume Carbohydrates?
While unregulated consumption of carbohydrates can pose some significant risks to many individuals, this does not mean that they should necessarily be totally cut out!
If you are eating a healthy and balanced diet that provides you with all of your vital nutrients, as well as balancing this with an active lifestyle, then carbohydrates can be very beneficial.
If you enjoy a very active lifestyle, and you often engage in sports activities, then consuming plenty of carbohydrates can be very beneficial, as it can help to provide the body with glucose, which it uses to create energy.
This means that carbs can easily be used to fuel an active lifestyle.
To Wrap Up
There we have it. Many people often find themselves very surprised to learn that rice contains a higher concentration of carbohydrates than your average potato, but this can, of course, depend on the type of rice, or the type of potato that is being considered.
If you want to enjoy rice or potatoes without the risks posed by high concentrations of carbohydrates, then make sure to consume potatoes with the skins on, and rice in its brown rice form.
This helps to provide you with a lot of fiber which helps to control the blood sugar levels that carbohydrates normally push up!
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. If you are eating plain white rice, then you may find that it is less healthy than an average potato, because much of the nutritious content has been removed from the rice.
Because rice is far less filling, yet still has a high amount of carbs to fill bodybuilders with energy.
