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Sweet potato vs Yam - In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are Sweet potato and Yam different?

  • Sweet potato is richer in Vitamin A RAE, and Vitamin B5, while Yam is higher in Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin B6, and Manganese.
  • Sweet potato covers your daily need of Vitamin A RAE 78% more than Yam.
  • Sweet potato contains 8 times more Sugar than Yam. Sweet potato contains 4.18g of Sugar, while Yam contains 0.5g.

Sweet potato, raw, unprepared and Yam, raw types were used in this article.

Infographic

Sweet potato vs Yam infographic
Infographic link

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food
Sweet potato
Sweet potato
4
:
4
Yam
Yam
Contains more Calcium +76.5%
Contains more Iron +13%
Contains more Magnesium +19%
Contains more Zinc +25%
Contains more Phosphorus +17%
Contains more Potassium +142.1%
Contains less Sodium -83.6%
Contains more Copper +17.9%
Sweet potato
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper 9% 23% 18% 21% 30% 8% 9% 51%
Yam
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper 6% 21% 15% 24% 72% 2% 7% 60%
Contains more Calcium +76.5%
Contains more Iron +13%
Contains more Magnesium +19%
Contains more Zinc +25%
Contains more Phosphorus +17%
Contains more Potassium +142.1%
Contains less Sodium -83.6%
Contains more Copper +17.9%

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food
Sweet potato
Sweet potato
4
:
6
Yam
Yam
Contains more Vitamin A +10180.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +90.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +154.8%
Contains more Vitamin E +34.6%
Contains more Vitamin C +612.5%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +43.6%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +40.2%
Contains more Folate +109.1%
Contains more Vitamin K +27.8%
Equal in Vitamin B3 - 0.552
Sweet potato
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 852% 6% 0% 8% 20% 15% 11% 48% 49% 9% 0% 5%
Yam
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 9% 7% 0% 57% 28% 8% 11% 19% 68% 18% 0% 6%
Contains more Vitamin A +10180.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +90.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +154.8%
Contains more Vitamin E +34.6%
Contains more Vitamin C +612.5%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +43.6%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +40.2%
Contains more Folate +109.1%
Contains more Vitamin K +27.8%
Equal in Vitamin B3 - 0.552

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Sweet potato
Sweet potato
3
:
2
Yam
Yam
Contains more Water +11%
Contains more Other +19.5%
Contains more Fats +240%
Contains more Carbs +38.6%
Equal in Protein - 1.53
Equal in Water - 69.6
Sweet potato
20% 77%
Protein: 1.57 g
Fats: 0.05 g
Carbs: 20.12 g
Water: 77.28 g
Other: 0.98 g
Yam
28% 70%
Protein: 1.53 g
Fats: 0.17 g
Carbs: 27.88 g
Water: 69.6 g
Other: 0.82 g
Contains more Water +11%
Contains more Other +19.5%
Contains more Fats +240%
Contains more Carbs +38.6%
Equal in Protein - 1.53
Equal in Water - 69.6

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Sweet potato
Sweet potato
1
:
2
Yam
Yam
Contains less Saturated Fat -51.4%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +500%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +442.9%
Sweet potato
55% 3% 42%
Saturated Fat: 0.018 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.014 g
Yam
31% 5% 64%
Saturated Fat: 0.037 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.006 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.076 g
Contains less Saturated Fat -51.4%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +500%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +442.9%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the most right column. It shows the amounts side by side, making it easier to realize the amount of difference.
Sweet potato Yam
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in glycemic index ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in Cholesterol Equal
Lower in price Equal
Rich in minerals Equal
Rich in vitamins Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Sweet potato Yam Opinion
Net carbs 17.12g 23.78g Yam
Protein 1.57g 1.53g Sweet potato
Fats 0.05g 0.17g Yam
Carbs 20.12g 27.88g Yam
Calories 86kcal 118kcal Yam
Starch 12.65g Sweet potato
Fructose 0.7g Sweet potato
Sugar 4.18g 0.5g Yam
Fiber 3g 4.1g Yam
Calcium 30mg 17mg Sweet potato
Iron 0.61mg 0.54mg Sweet potato
Magnesium 25mg 21mg Sweet potato
Phosphorus 47mg 55mg Yam
Potassium 337mg 816mg Yam
Sodium 55mg 9mg Yam
Zinc 0.3mg 0.24mg Sweet potato
Copper 0.151mg 0.178mg Yam
Vitamin A 14187IU 138IU Sweet potato
Vitamin A RAE 709µg 7µg Sweet potato
Vitamin E 0.26mg 0.35mg Yam
Vitamin C 2.4mg 17.1mg Yam
Vitamin B1 0.078mg 0.112mg Yam
Vitamin B2 0.061mg 0.032mg Sweet potato
Vitamin B3 0.557mg 0.552mg Sweet potato
Vitamin B5 0.8mg 0.314mg Sweet potato
Vitamin B6 0.209mg 0.293mg Yam
Folate 11µg 23µg Yam
Vitamin K 1.8µg 2.3µg Yam
Tryptophan 0.031mg 0.012mg Sweet potato
Threonine 0.083mg 0.054mg Sweet potato
Isoleucine 0.055mg 0.052mg Sweet potato
Leucine 0.092mg 0.096mg Yam
Lysine 0.066mg 0.059mg Sweet potato
Methionine 0.029mg 0.021mg Sweet potato
Phenylalanine 0.089mg 0.071mg Sweet potato
Valine 0.086mg 0.062mg Sweet potato
Histidine 0.031mg 0.034mg Yam
Saturated Fat 0.018g 0.037g Sweet potato
Monounsaturated Fat 0.001g 0.006g Yam
Polyunsaturated fat 0.014g 0.076g Yam

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Sweet potato Yam
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Calories diet ok
Low glycemic index diet ok

Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores show how much of your all daily needs across all vitamins or minerals this food would cover if you took three 100 grams servings of it (approximation of 3 serving sizes)
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
85%
Sweet potato
19%
Yam
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
21%
Sweet potato
25%
Yam

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Yam
Yam is lower in Sugar (difference - 3.68g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Yam
Yam contains less Sodium (difference - 46mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Yam
Yam is lower in glycemic index (difference - 19)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Sweet potato
Sweet potato is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.019g)
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)
Which food is cheaper?
?
The foods are relatively equal in price ($0.2)
Which food is richer in minerals?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

References

The source of all the nutrient values on the page (excluding the main article the sources for which are presented separately if present) is the USDA's FoodCentral. The exact links to the foods presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Sweet potato - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168482/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.