What is the difference between Yams and sweet potatoes?

[emilyrosenj]

Inquiring minds want to know!

[michiganmom116]

Yams are grown in tropical regions and have a creamy flesh and may or may not be sweet.  The flesh is drier than sweet potatoes.  They come in different colors such as purple, white, red.   They have a rough, scaly skin.  Real yams are nothing like what we in the USA call "yams."  That came about because some (imported) yams were confused with American grown white potatoes.

Sweet potatoes have smooth, thin skin, yellow or orange flesh (one variety is purple) and are sweet and moist.

I haven't looked into the nutritional difference, but I can find out if anyone is interested.

[emilyrosenj]

I would be interested! I guess I've never had real yams...

Quoting michiganmom116:

Yams are grown in tropical regions and have a creamy flesh and may or may not be sweet.  The flesh is drier than sweet potatoes.  They come in different colors such as purple, white, red.   They have a rough, scaly skin.  Real yams are nothing like what we in the USA call "yams."  That came about because some (imported) yams were confused with American grown white potatoes.

Sweet potatoes have smooth, thin skin, yellow or orange flesh (one variety is purple) and are sweet and moist.

I haven't looked into the nutritional difference, but I can find out if anyone is interested.

[michiganmom116]

Quoting emilyrosenj:

I would be interested! I guess I've never had real yams...

Quoting michiganmom116:

Yams are grown in tropical regions and have a creamy flesh and may or may not be sweet.  The flesh is drier than sweet potatoes.  They come in different colors such as purple, white, red.   They have a rough, scaly skin.  Real yams are nothing like what we in the USA call "yams."  That came about because some (imported) yams were confused with American grown white potatoes.

Sweet potatoes have smooth, thin skin, yellow or orange flesh (one variety is purple) and are sweet and moist.

I haven't looked into the nutritional difference, but I can find out if anyone is interested.

I found this at http://rosie2010.hubpages.com/hub/YAMS-vs-SWEET-POTATOES-Comparison

Nutritional Comparison between Yams and Sweet Potatoes

Vitamin A

Sweet Potatoes contain more Vitamin A, than yams.

Vitamin A is known to fight cancer, builds our immune system, and is considered critical in maintaining proper eye health.

Sweet potatoes are loaded with massive amounts of vitamin A, a nutrient considered critical in maintaining proper eye health. In fact, one sweet potato contains nearly eight times an adult's daily need of this important vitamin, and, because vitamin A is fat-soluble rather than water-soluble, the body can store it for later use.

Yams contain vitamin A but in significantly less amount than sweet potatoes (yam - 122 IU, sweet potato - 19217 IU).

So, when it comes to vitamin A, sweet potatoes are better than yams.

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Calcium, Iron, Vitamin E, and Protein

Sweet potatoes contain significantly higher amounts of calcium, iron, and vitamin E, and twice as much protein per serving, than yams.

Sweet potatoes also contain several other vitamins and minerals in amounts not found in the yams.

Although yams also contain calcium, iron, vitamin E, protein, several other vitamins and minerals, they are in lesser amounts per serving, than sweet potatoes.

So, when it comes to calcium, iron, vitamin E and protein contents, sweet potatoes are better than yams.

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Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids

Sweet potatoes contain less omega-3, and more omega-6 fatty acids, than yams.

Omega-3 fatty acids have received significant news coverage in recent times owing to their ability to do everything from prevent heart disease to increase brain stamina.

Omega-6 fatty acids are known to inhibit the body's ability to make use of the omega-3's.

Although both the yam and the sweet potato are low-fat foods, the ratio of essential fatty acids is preferable in the yam.

Sweet potatoes contain less omega-3 fats than yams, and have nearly twice as much omega-6 fats.

So, when it comes to fatty acids, yams are better than sweet potatoes.

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Anti-inflammatory Nutrients

Anti-inflammatory compounds are very important in the health of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), arthritis, gout, and other inflammation-related diseases.

Sweet potatoes contain massive amounts of these anti-inflammatory nutrients; yams don't.

Yams, not only lack these anti-inflammatory nutrients, but actually contain a number of compounds that aggravate inflammations.

So, when it comes to anti-inflammatory nutrients, sweet potatoes is the big winner.

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Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorous and other Minerals

Both yam and sweet potato are both loaded with potassium, magnesium, and phosphorous, as well as several so-called trace minerals: selenium, zinc, and copper.

However, although both sweet potato and yam seem to have similar high concentrations of key minerals, sweet potatoes have just a little more.

So, when it comes to minerals, sweet potatoes are a little bit better than yams.

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Which is better for people with Diabetes?

Both the sweet potato and yam offer special health benefits to people with diabetes. Both have very low glycemic indexes: sweet potato weighing in at 17, and yam weighing in at 16. However, sweet potatoes might actually help to fight against diabetes.

Although final reports have not yet been published, preliminary researches show that long-term consumption of sweet potatoes can actually help to fight against diabetes symptoms.

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Nutritional Comparison Table - Yams vs Sweet Potatoes

	Yam, serving size 100 grams	% Daily Value	Sweet Potato, serving size 100 grams	% Daily Value
Calories	116	6%	90	5%
Total Fat	0g	0%	0g	0%
Saturated Fat	0g	0%	0g	0%
Trans Fat	0g		0g
Total Omega-3 fatty acids	9.0mg		4.0mg
Total Omega-6 fatty acids	50.0mg		60.0mg
Cholesterol	0mg	0%	0mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate	27.5g	9%	20.7g	7%
Dietary Fiber	3.9g	16%	3.3g	13%
Starch			7.0g
Sugars	0.5g		6.5g
Protein	1.5g	3%	2.0g	4%
Vitamins
Vitamin A	122 IU	2%	19217 IU	384%
Vitamin C	12.1mg	20%	19.6mg	33%
Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol)	0.3mg	2%	0.7mg	4%
Vitamin K	2.3mcg	3%	2.3mcg	3%
Thiamin	0.1mg	6%	0.1mg	7%
Riboflavin	0.0mg	2%	0.1mg	6%
Niacin	0.6mg	3%	1.5mg	7%
Vitamin B	60.2mg	11%	0.3mg	14%
Folate	16.0mcg	4%	6.0mcg	1%
Vitamin B12	0.0mcg	0%	0.0mcg	0%
Pantothenic Acid	0.3mg	3%	0.9mg	9%
Choline	16.2mg		13.1mg
Betaine	0.0mg		34.6mg
Minerals
Calcium	14.0mg	1%	38.0mg	4%
Iron	0.5mg	3%	0.7mg	4%
Magnesium	18.0mg	5%	27.0mg	7%
Phosphorus	49.0mg	5%	54.0mg	5%
Potassium	670mg	19%	475mg	14%
Sodium	8.0mg	0%	36.0mg	1%
Zinc	0.2mg	1%	0.3mg	2%
Copper	0.2mg	8%	0.2mg	8%
Manganese	0.4mg	19%	0.5mg	25%
Selenium	0.7mcg	1%	0.2mcg	0%

Source: Nutrient data for this listing was provided by USDA SR-21. Percent Daily Values (%DV) are for adults or children aged 4 or older, and are based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet.

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CONCLUSION:

Based on the above nutrition comparison between the yam and the sweet potato, the sweet potato seems a lot more beneficial to our health, than the yam.

Therefore, given the number of amazing health benefits of sweet potatoes, aren't you glad that all these years you thought you were eating "yams," chances are, you were actually eating the mighty sweet potatoes?

[emilyrosenj]

Thanks! I knew I loved sweet potatoes!

[Juniper53098]

Thanks for posting that info, michiganmom116!!!

[kmqw229]

Interesting!

[JennMcBride]

I've wondered that myself before. Thanks for the info.

[emilyrosenj]

After reading this, I went to sleep and was dreaming about these HUGE yams, it was so weird!!!!

[Kmakksmom]

Interesting information!  Thanks for sharing :)

[virginiamama71]

 thanks

Quoting Juniper53098:

Thanks for posting that info, michiganmom116!!!