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Yam vs. Sweet potato — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are yam and sweet potato different?

  • Yam is richer in vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, and manganese, while sweet potato is higher in vitamin A and vitamin B5.
  • Sweet potato covers your daily need for vitamin A, 281% more than yam.
  • Yam contains 7 times more vitamin C than sweet potato. Yam contains 17.1mg of vitamin C, while sweet potato contains 2.4mg.
  • Yam is lower in sugar.
  • Sweet potato has a higher glycemic index (70) than yam (51).

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

Infographic

Yam vs Sweet potato 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.
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%
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%
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%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +19%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +76.5%
Contains more IronIron +13%
Contains more ZincZinc +25%

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.
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% 2.3% 7% 0% 28% 7.4% 10% 19% 68% 0% 5.8% 17% 9%
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% 236% 5.2% 0% 20% 14% 10% 48% 48% 0% 4.5% 8.3% 6.7%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +612.5%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin 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%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +10028.6%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +90.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +154.8%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B3 ~0.557mg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
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
20% 77%
Protein: 1.57 g
Fats: 0.05 g
Carbs: 20.12 g
Water: 77.28 g
Other: 0.98 g
Contains more FatsFats +240%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +38.6%
Contains more WaterWater +11%
Contains more OtherOther +19.5%
~equal in Protein ~1.57g

Fat Type Comparison

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

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Yam Sweet potato
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 Yam Sweet potato DV% diff.
Vitamin A 7µg 709µg 78%
Vitamin C 17.1mg 2.4mg 16%
Potassium 816mg 337mg 14%
Vitamin B5 0.314mg 0.8mg 10%
Vitamin B6 0.293mg 0.209mg 6%
Manganese 0.397mg 0.258mg 6%
Starch 12.65g 5%
Fiber 4.1g 3g 4%
Vitamin B1 0.112mg 0.078mg 3%
Folate 23µg 11µg 3%
Carbs 27.88g 20.12g 3%
Copper 0.178mg 0.151mg 3%
Vitamin B2 0.032mg 0.061mg 2%
Sodium 9mg 55mg 2%
Calories 118kcal 86kcal 2%
Phosphorus 55mg 47mg 1%
Calcium 17mg 30mg 1%
Zinc 0.24mg 0.3mg 1%
Magnesium 21mg 25mg 1%
Choline 16.5mg 12.3mg 1%
Fructose 0.7g 1%
Iron 0.54mg 0.61mg 1%
Vitamin E 0.35mg 0.26mg 1%
Protein 1.53g 1.57g 0%
Fats 0.17g 0.05g 0%
Net carbs 23.78g 17.12g N/A
Sugar 0.5g 4.18g N/A
Selenium 0.7µg 0.6µg 0%
Vitamin B3 0.552mg 0.557mg 0%
Vitamin K 2.3µg 1.8µg 0%
Saturated fat 0.037g 0.018g 0%
Monounsaturated fat 0.006g 0.001g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.076g 0.014g 0%
Tryptophan 0.012mg 0.031mg 0%
Threonine 0.054mg 0.083mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.052mg 0.055mg 0%
Leucine 0.096mg 0.092mg 0%
Lysine 0.059mg 0.066mg 0%
Methionine 0.021mg 0.029mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.071mg 0.089mg 0%
Valine 0.062mg 0.086mg 0%
Histidine 0.034mg 0.031mg 0%

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Yam Sweet potato
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
18%
Yam
31%
Sweet potato
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
26%
Yam
20%
Sweet potato

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. Yam - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170071/nutrients
  2. Sweet potato - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168482/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.