Wheat Flour vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Wheat Flour and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
wheat flour
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in wheat flour and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and wheat flour are high in dietary fiber.
- Sweet potato has more beta-carotene than wheat flour, however, wheat flour contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and potassium.
- Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate, however, sweet potato contains more Vitamin B6.
- Wheat flour is a great source of protein.
- Wheat flour is an excellent source of iron.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Wheat flour is high in calories and sweet potato has 76% less calories than wheat flour - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and wheat flour has 361 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, wheat flour is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to sweet potatoes for fat. Wheat flour has a macronutrient ratio of 14:82:4 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Wheat Flour | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 82% | 92% |
| Fat | 4% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Wheat flour is high in carbohydrates and sweet potato has 72% less carbohydrates than wheat flour - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and wheat flour has 72.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both sweet potatoes and wheat flour are high in dietary fiber. Sweet potato has 25% more dietary fiber than wheat flour - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potatoes and wheat flour contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Wheat flour is a great source of protein and it has 663% more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and wheat flour has 12g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and wheat flour are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potato has more Vitamin C than wheat flour - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than wheat flour - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate, however, sweet potato contains more Vitamin B6. Both wheat flour and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid.
| Wheat Flour | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.812 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.512 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 7.554 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.438 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.037 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 183 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 100% more calcium than wheat flour - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and wheat flour has 15mg of calcium.
iron
Wheat flour is an excellent source of iron and it has 623% more iron than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron.
potassium
Sweet potato is an excellent source of potassium and it has 237% more potassium than wheat flour - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and wheat flour has 100mg 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 wheat flour per 100 grams, however, wheat flour contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Wheat Flour | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 1 UG | 8509 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 79 UG | ~ |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 7 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, wheat flour has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Wheat Flour | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.043 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.043 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, wheat flour has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Wheat Flour | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.685 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.685 G | 0.013 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).
You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Wheat Flour or Sweet Potatoes .
Note: The specific food items compared are: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Wheat Flour 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 wheat flour contain more calories in 100 grams?Wheat flour is high in calories and sweet potato has 80% less calories than wheat flour - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and wheat flour has 361 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or wheat flour have more carbohydrates?
By weight, wheat flour is high in carbohydrates and sweet potato has 70% fewer carbohydrates than wheat flour - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and wheat flour has 72.5g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or wheat flour contain more iron?
Wheat flour is an abundant source of iron and it has 620% more iron than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron in 100 grams and wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron.
Does sweet potatoes or wheat flour contain more potassium?
Sweet potato is a rich source of potassium and it has 240% more potassium than wheat flour - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and wheat flour has 100mg of potassium.