Barley vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Barley and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
barley
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in barley and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and barley are high in dietary fiber and potassium.
- Barley has more thiamin and niacin, however, sweet potato contains more pantothenic acid.
- Barley is a great source of iron and protein.
- Sweet potato has more beta-carotene than barley, however, barley contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Barley is high in calories and sweet potato has 76% less calories than barley - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and barley has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, barley is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to sweet potatoes for fat. Barley has a macronutrient ratio of 11:86:3 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Barley | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 92% |
| Fat | 3% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Barley is high in carbohydrates and sweet potato has 74% less carbohydrates than barley - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both sweet potatoes and barley are high in dietary fiber. Barley has 420% more dietary fiber than sweet potato - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potatoes and barley contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and barley has 0.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Barley is a great source of protein and it has 531% more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and barley are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and barley has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potato has more Vitamin C than barley - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and barley does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 708 times more Vitamin A than barley - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and barley has 1ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and barley has 2.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Barley has more thiamin and niacin, however, sweet potato contains more pantothenic acid. Both barley and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Barley | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.191 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.114 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 4.604 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.282 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 23 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potatoes and barley contain similar amounts of calcium - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and barley has 29mg of calcium.
iron
Barley is a great source of iron and it has 310% more iron than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and barley are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 20% more potassium than barley - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and barley has 280mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
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 barley per 100 grams, however, barley contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Barley | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 13 UG | 8509 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 160 UG | ~ |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 7 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, barley has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Barley | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.055 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, barley has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Barley | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.505 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.505 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: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Barley 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 % |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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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 % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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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 barley contain more calories in 100 grams?Barley is high in calories and sweet potato has 80% less calories than barley - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and barley has 352 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or barley have more carbohydrates?
By weight, barley is high in carbohydrates and sweet potato has 70% fewer carbohydrates than barley - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or barley contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and barley are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 20% more potassium than barley - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and barley has 280mg of potassium.