Okra vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Okra and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
okra
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in okra and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and okra are high in dietary fiber and potassium.
- Okra has 62% less calories than sweet potato.
- Okra has 63% less carbohydrates than sweet potato.
- Okra has more thiamin and folate, however, sweet potato contains more pantothenic acid.
- Okra is an excellent source of Vitamin C and calcium.
- Sweet potato has more beta-carotene than okra, however, okra contains more alpha-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Okra (Okra, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Okra has 62% less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and okra has 33 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, okra is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to sweet potatoes per calorie. Okra has a macronutrient ratio of 19:76:5 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Okra | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 19% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 76% | 92% |
| Fat | 5% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Okra has 63% less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and okra has 7.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both sweet potatoes and okra are high in dietary fiber. Sweet potato is very similar to sweet potato for dietary fiber - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and okra has 3.2g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potatoes and okra contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and okra has 1.5g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Sweet potatoes and okra contain similar amounts of protein - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and okra has 1.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and okra are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and okra has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Okra is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has 858% more Vitamin C than sweet potato - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and okra has 23mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 18 times more Vitamin A than okra - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and okra has 36ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and okra contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and okra has 0.27mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Okra has 16 times more Vitamin K than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and okra has 31.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Okra has more thiamin and folate, however, sweet potato contains more pantothenic acid. Both okra and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
| Okra | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.2 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.06 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 1 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.245 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.215 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 60 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Okra is an excellent source of calcium and it has 173% more calcium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and okra has 82mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potatoes and okra contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and okra has 0.62mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and okra are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 13% more potassium than okra - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and okra has 299mg 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,
| Okra | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Quercetin | 20.97 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 okra per 100 grams, however, okra contains more alpha-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Okra | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 416 UG | 8509 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 27 UG | 7 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 280 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both okra and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Okra | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.001 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.001 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both okra and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Okra | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.026 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.026 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: Okra (Okra, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Okra 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 okra contain more calories in 100 grams?Okra has 60% less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and okra has 33 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or okra have more carbohydrates?
By weight, okra has 60% fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and okra has 7.5g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or okra contain more calcium?
Okra is a rich source of calcium and it has 170% more calcium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium in 100 grams and okra has 82mg of calcium.
Does sweet potatoes or okra contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and okra are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 10% more potassium than okra - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and okra has 299mg of potassium.