Cassava and potatoes: which is healthier substitute for rice?

Cassava and potatoes are staple food alternatives to rice which are also rich in carbohydrates. But when comparing the two, which one is healthier? Come on for cassava or potatoes, see the following explanation!

Differences in nutrients in cassava and potatoes

Cassava and potatoes are both staple food sources of complex carbohydrates that do not contain fat. Cassava and potatoes also contain adequate amounts of fiber.

For comparison, every 100 gram serving of cassava contains 112 calories, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 1.5 grams of protein. With the same amount, potatoes contain 76 calories, 17 carbohydrates and 2 grams of protein. Both these tubers contain 2 grams of fiber.

Both cassava and potatoes also contain sufficient amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. Manganese itself is a mineral that helps blood clot, produce sex hormones, to strengthen bones and connective tissue.

So, which one is better between cassava and potato?

Judging from the overall nutritional value, both cassava and potatoes have an equal position. So, the decision to choose cassava or potato as a snack is completely yours.

However, if you want to use one of the two tubers as a source of carbohydrates instead of rice, cassava is probably a better choice than potatoes.

The reason is, every 230 grams of cassava contains 78 grams of total carbohydrates. If every 1 gram of carbohydrates contains 4 calories, this is equivalent to 312 calories or 95 percent of your daily carbohydrate needs. While the carbohydrate content in potatoes is equivalent to 66-90 percent of daily carbohydrate needs.

When viewed from its glycemic value, cassava is also superior to potatoes. Based on the table of IG values from Harvard Medical School, the GI value of 100 grams of boiled potatoes is around 78 while the glycemic value per 100 grams of cassava is around 55. The lower the glycemic value of a food, the less it has an effect on increasing blood sugar levels.

Then it can be concluded that Cassava can replace rice better than potatoes.

How many servings of cassava and potatoes should be consumed to replace rice?

Based on the Balanced Nutrition Guidelines issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, every 100 grams of rice contains 175 calories, 4 grams of protein, and 40 grams of carbohydrates.

To get the same nutritional value, it is recommended that you eat two medium potatoes (210 grams) or 1.5 pieces of cassava (120 grams).

How to cook cassava and potatoes affects their nutritional content

Even though the nutritional content between cassava and potato is almost eleven to twelve, the wrong way of cooking can change the content so that it may even be detrimental to your health.

The safest way to process cassava and potato while retaining most of its nutrients is by boiling or roasting. But also remember that cooking techniques can also affect the glycemic index value of a food. The longer the food is cooked, the higher the glycemic index that the food has.

Before processing cassava, make sure you have peeled the skin clean and wash the cassava well. Also, make sure to process the cassava until it is completely cooked to avoid the risk of cyanide poisoning.

Slightly different from cassava, you don't need to peel the potato skins clean before cooking because the potato skins are the ones that store the most nutrients. But still make sure you wash the potatoes thoroughly before processing to avoid the risk of food contamination.