Are Yams Or Sweet Potatoes More Nutritious?

One of food's greatest double acts is the sweet potato and the yam. They're perpetually confused for one another, and it's easy to forget whether sweet potatoes and yams are actually the same thing. Learning their differences is worthwhile in order to enjoy their flavors in various dishes where they each shine. Sweet potatoes are the roots of their vine-like plant, and they're members of the morning glory family. Yams are root vegetables from another plant family and grow differently, with tougher skin. Sweet potatoes are indeed sweeter, which is why you can also use them in desserts like sweet potato pie. Yams are starchier in flavor and work well as a side with other vegetables.

There are also nutritional differences between sweet potatoes and yams, and learning these could help you decide which vegetable to cook in a meal. Possibly an unexpected winner thanks to their sweetness, sweet potatoes are in fact more nutritious than yams. This mostly comes down to the former's beta-carotene levels, as both vegetables share a lot of other nutrients like fiber and protein. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that the body transforms into vitamin A, which can help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, and inflammatory and infectious diseases. It also boosts eye and skin health. Thanks to sweet potatoes' high beta-carotene content, a 100-gram portion can provide over 900 micrograms of vitamin A. That's more than 100 times what you get from the same amount of yams and enough to cover your daily recommended intake of the nutrient.

Per 100 grams, both yams and sweet potatoes have a little over 1 ½ grams of protein as well as a little over 4 grams of fiber, a ½ milligram of iron, and close to 20 milligrams of magnesium. Yams are higher in calories and carbs than sweet potatoes, but sweet potatoes have more total fat and have a significantly higher sugar content – 6 ½ grams compared to yams' ½ gram. Yams have sweet potatoes beat on phosphorus, potassium, and Vitamin C, but sweet potatoes win on calcium. 

Just breaking these nutrition profiles down, yams and sweet potatoes are pretty neck and neck. Whichever one you choose, you'll get a good source of fiber and protein and at least a few key nutrients. But then, that beta-carotene comes in and nudges sweet potatoes over the finish line — if you want to pack more antioxidants into your diet and get some eye and skin health support, too, sweet potatoes are the way to go.

Your best bet is to count both root vegetables in your repertoire to cover all your nutrition bases. Incorporate yams into a hearty casserole or bake them up to enjoy alongside chicken or fish; there are also plenty of delicious sweet potato recipes from casseroles, pies, and baked sides to salads, soups, grain bowls, and even smoothies.