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Potato vs. Yam — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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Summary of differences between potatoes and yam

  • The amount of potassium, manganese, fiber, and copper in yam is higher than in potatoes.
  • Yam covers your daily need for potassium, 12% more than potatoes.
  • Yam has a lower glycemic index. The glycemic index of yam is 51, while the glycemic index of potatoes is 86.

These are the specific foods used in this comparison Potatoes, flesh, and skin, raw and Yam, raw.

Infographic

Potato vs Yam infographic
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Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Potato
3
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 16% 3.6% 38% 30% 37% 8.2% 24% 0.78% 26% 2.2%
Yam
Yam
5
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 15% 5.1% 72% 20% 59% 6.5% 24% 1.2% 52% 3.8%
Contains more IronIron +50%
Contains more ZincZinc +25%
Contains less SodiumSodium -33.3%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +41.7%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +92%
Contains more CopperCopper +61.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +98.5%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +75%
~equal in Magnesium ~21mg
~equal in Phosphorus ~55mg

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Potato
2
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 66% 0% 0.2% 0% 20% 7.4% 20% 18% 69% 0% 5% 11% 6.6%
Yam
Yam
6
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 57% 2.3% 7% 0% 28% 7.4% 10% 19% 68% 0% 5.8% 17% 9%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +15.2%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +92.2%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +3400%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +38.3%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +15%
Contains more FolateFolate +53.3%
Contains more CholineCholine +36.4%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B2 ~0.032mg
~equal in Vitamin B5 ~0.314mg
~equal in Vitamin B6 ~0.293mg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Potato Yam DV% diff.
Potassium 425mg 816mg 12%
Manganese 0.2mg 0.397mg 9%
Copper 0.11mg 0.178mg 8%
Fiber 2.1g 4.1g 8%
Starch 15.29g 6%
Vitamin B1 0.081mg 0.112mg 3%
Vitamin C 19.7mg 17.1mg 3%
Vitamin B3 1.061mg 0.552mg 3%
Carbs 17.49g 27.88g 3%
Iron 0.81mg 0.54mg 3%
Folate 15µg 23µg 2%
Vitamin E 0.01mg 0.35mg 2%
Calories 77kcal 118kcal 2%
Zinc 0.3mg 0.24mg 1%
Selenium 0.4µg 0.7µg 1%
Choline 12.1mg 16.5mg 1%
Protein 2.05g 1.53g 1%
Vitamin A 0µg 7µg 1%
Calcium 12mg 17mg 1%
Fats 0.09g 0.17g 0%
Net carbs 15.39g 23.78g N/A
Magnesium 23mg 21mg 0%
Sugar 0.82g 0.5g N/A
Phosphorus 57mg 55mg 0%
Sodium 6mg 9mg 0%
Vitamin B2 0.032mg 0.032mg 0%
Vitamin B5 0.295mg 0.314mg 0%
Vitamin B6 0.298mg 0.293mg 0%
Vitamin K 2µg 2.3µg 0%
Saturated fat 0.025g 0.037g 0%
Monounsaturated fat 0.002g 0.006g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.042g 0.076g 0%
Tryptophan 0.021mg 0.012mg 0%
Threonine 0.067mg 0.054mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.066mg 0.052mg 0%
Leucine 0.098mg 0.096mg 0%
Lysine 0.107mg 0.059mg 0%
Methionine 0.032mg 0.021mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.081mg 0.071mg 0%
Valine 0.103mg 0.062mg 0%
Histidine 0.035mg 0.034mg 0%
Fructose 0.26g 0%

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Potato
3
2% 17% 79%
Protein: 2.05 g
Fats: 0.09 g
Carbs: 17.49 g
Water: 79.25 g
Other: 1.12 g
Yam
Yam
2
28% 70%
Protein: 1.53 g
Fats: 0.17 g
Carbs: 27.88 g
Water: 69.6 g
Other: 0.82 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +34%
Contains more WaterWater +13.9%
Contains more OtherOther +36.6%
Contains more FatsFats +88.9%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +59.4%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Potato
1
36% 3% 61%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.025 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.002 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.042 g
Yam
Yam
2
31% 5% 64%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.037 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.006 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.076 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -32.4%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +200%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +81%

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Potato - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170026/nutrients
  2. Yam - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170071/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.