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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 of Vitamin A 78% 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.

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% 8.3% 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% 851% 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 +10180.4%
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 Opinion
Calories 118kcal 86kcal Yam
Protein 1.53g 1.57g Sweet potato
Fats 0.17g 0.05g Yam
Vitamin C 17.1mg 2.4mg Yam
Net carbs 23.78g 17.12g Yam
Carbs 27.88g 20.12g Yam
Magnesium 21mg 25mg Sweet potato
Calcium 17mg 30mg Sweet potato
Potassium 816mg 337mg Yam
Iron 0.54mg 0.61mg Sweet potato
Sugar 0.5g 4.18g Yam
Fiber 4.1g 3g Yam
Copper 0.178mg 0.151mg Yam
Zinc 0.24mg 0.3mg Sweet potato
Starch 12.65g Sweet potato
Phosphorus 55mg 47mg Yam
Sodium 9mg 55mg Yam
Vitamin A 138IU 14187IU Sweet potato
Vitamin A 7µg 709µg Sweet potato
Vitamin E 0.35mg 0.26mg Yam
Manganese 0.397mg 0.258mg Yam
Selenium 0.7µg 0.6µg Yam
Vitamin B1 0.112mg 0.078mg Yam
Vitamin B2 0.032mg 0.061mg Sweet potato
Vitamin B3 0.552mg 0.557mg Sweet potato
Vitamin B5 0.314mg 0.8mg Sweet potato
Vitamin B6 0.293mg 0.209mg Yam
Vitamin K 2.3µg 1.8µg Yam
Folate 23µg 11µg Yam
Choline 16.5mg 12.3mg Yam
Saturated Fat 0.037g 0.018g Sweet potato
Monounsaturated Fat 0.006g 0.001g Yam
Polyunsaturated fat 0.076g 0.014g Yam
Tryptophan 0.012mg 0.031mg Sweet potato
Threonine 0.054mg 0.083mg Sweet potato
Isoleucine 0.052mg 0.055mg Sweet potato
Leucine 0.096mg 0.092mg Yam
Lysine 0.059mg 0.066mg Sweet potato
Methionine 0.021mg 0.029mg Sweet potato
Phenylalanine 0.071mg 0.089mg Sweet potato
Valine 0.062mg 0.086mg Sweet potato
Histidine 0.034mg 0.031mg Yam
Fructose 0.7g Sweet potato

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
79%
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.