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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" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 18% 9% 30% 23% 50% 8.2% 20% 7.2% 34% 3.3%
Yam
Yam
6
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 MagnesiumMagnesium +19%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +76.5%
Contains more IronIron +13%
Contains more ZincZinc +25%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +142.1%
Contains more CopperCopper +17.9%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +17%
Contains less SodiumSodium -83.6%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +53.9%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +16.7%

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.
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 8% 851% 5.2% 0% 20% 14% 10% 48% 48% 0% 4.5% 8.3% 6.7%
Yam
Yam
7
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% 8.3% 7% 0% 28% 7.4% 10% 19% 68% 0% 5.8% 17% 9%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +10180.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +90.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +154.8%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +612.5%
Contains more Vitamin E Vitamin E +34.6%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +43.6%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +40.2%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +27.8%
Contains more FolateFolate +109.1%
Contains more CholineCholine +34.1%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B3 ~0.552mg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
20% 77%
Protein: 1.57 g
Fats: 0.05 g
Carbs: 20.12 g
Water: 77.28 g
Other: 0.98 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 OtherOther +19.5%
Contains more FatsFats +240%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +38.6%
~equal in Protein ~1.53g
~equal in Water ~69.6g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
55% 3% 42%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.018 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.001 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.014 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 -51.4%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +500%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +442.9%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the 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
Calories 86kcal 118kcal Yam
Protein 1.57g 1.53g Sweet potato
Fats 0.05g 0.17g Yam
Vitamin C 2.4mg 17.1mg Yam
Net carbs 17.12g 23.78g Yam
Carbs 20.12g 27.88g Yam
Magnesium 25mg 21mg Sweet potato
Calcium 30mg 17mg Sweet potato
Potassium 337mg 816mg Yam
Iron 0.61mg 0.54mg Sweet potato
Sugar 4.18g 0.5g Yam
Fiber 3g 4.1g Yam
Copper 0.151mg 0.178mg Yam
Zinc 0.3mg 0.24mg Sweet potato
Starch 12.65g Sweet potato
Phosphorus 47mg 55mg Yam
Sodium 55mg 9mg Yam
Vitamin A 14187IU 138IU Sweet potato
Vitamin A RAE 709µg 7µg Sweet potato
Vitamin E 0.26mg 0.35mg Yam
Manganese 0.258mg 0.397mg Yam
Selenium 0.6µg 0.7µg 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
Vitamin K 1.8µg 2.3µg Yam
Folate 11µg 23µg Yam
Choline 12.3mg 16.5mg Yam
Saturated Fat 0.018g 0.037g Sweet potato
Monounsaturated Fat 0.001g 0.006g Yam
Polyunsaturated fat 0.014g 0.076g 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
Fructose 0.7g Sweet potato

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Sweet potato Yam
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
79%
Sweet potato
18%
Yam
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
20%
Sweet potato
26%
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

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. 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.