Plums vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Plums and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
plums
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in plums and sweet potatoes:
- Sweet potato has 58% less sugar than plum.
- Sweet potato has more beta-carotene than plum, however, plum contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato.
- Sweet potato has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
- Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Plums (Plums, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Plum has 47% less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and plum has 46 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, plums is heavier in fat and similar to sweet potatoes for protein and carbs. Plums has a macronutrient ratio of 6:89:5 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Plums | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 6% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 89% | 92% |
| Fat | 5% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Plum has 43% less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and plum has 11.4g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in sweet potatoes are made of 64% starch, 21% sugar and 15% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in plums comprise of 88% sugar and 12% dietary fiber.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 114% more dietary fiber than plum - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and plum has 1.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potato has 58% less sugar than plum - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and plum has 9.9g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Sweet potatoes and plums contain similar amounts of protein - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and plum has 0.7g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and plums are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and plum has 0.02g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Plum has 296% more Vitamin C than sweet potato - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and plum has 9.5mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 40 times more Vitamin A than plum - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and plum has 17ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and plums contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and plum has 0.26mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and plums contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and plum has 6.4ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Sweet potato has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate. Both plums and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of niacin.
| Plums | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.028 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.026 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 0.417 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.135 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.029 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 5 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 400% more calcium than plum - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and plum has 6mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potato has 259% more iron than plum - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and plum has 0.17mg of iron.
potassium
Sweet potato is an excellent source of potassium and it has 115% more potassium than plum - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and plum has 157mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
flavonoids
Naturally occuring in fruits and vegetables, flavonoids are associated with many health benefits and used in a variety of medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. [2][3]
For specific flavonoid compounds,
| Plums | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Quercetin | 0.9 mg | 0.01 mg |
| apigenin | ~ | 0.01 mg |
| luteolin | ~ | 0.02 mg |
| kaempferol | ~ | 0.01 mg |
| myricetin | ~ | 0.03 mg |
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, sweet potato has more beta-carotene than plum per 100 grams, however, plum contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Plums | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 190 UG | 8509 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 73 UG | ~ |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 7 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both plums and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Plums | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.044 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.044 G | 0.013 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Plums (Plums, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Plums g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Sweet Potatoes g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does sweet potatoes or plums contain more calories in 100 grams?Plum has 50% less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and plum has 46 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or plums have more carbohydrates?
By weight, plum has 40% fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and plum has 11.4g of carbohydrates. the carbs in sweet potatoes are made of 60% starch, 20% sugar and 20% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in plums comprise of 90% sugar and 10% dietary fiber.
Does sweet potatoes or plums contain more potassium?
Sweet potato is a rich source of potassium and it has 120% more potassium than plum - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and plum has 157mg of potassium.