Turkey vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Turkey and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
turkey
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in turkey and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and turkey are high in potassium.
- Sweet potato has 118.7 times less saturated fat than turkey.
- Sweet potato has signficantly less cholesterol than turkey.
- Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
- Turkey has 334.3 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato.
- Turkey has more riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
- Turkey is an excellent source of protein.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Turkey (Turkey, whole, meat and skin, cooked, roasted) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Turkey is high in calories and sweet potato has 54% less calories than turkey - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and turkey has 189 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, turkey is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to sweet potatoes per calorie. Turkey has a macronutrient ratio of 63:0:37 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Turkey | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 63% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 92% |
| Fat | 37% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Turkey has 334.3 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and turkey has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than turkey - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and turkey does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Turkey has less sugar than sweet potato - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and turkey does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Turkey is an excellent source of protein and it has 17 times more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and turkey has 28.6g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Sweet potato has 118.7 times less saturated fat than turkey - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and turkey has 2.2g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both turkey and sweet potatoes are low in trans fat - turkey has 0.1g of trans fat per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Sweet potato has signficantly less cholesterol than turkey - turkey has 109mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potato has more Vitamin C than turkey - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and turkey does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 58 times more Vitamin A than turkey - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and turkey has 12ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Turkey has more Vitamin D than sweet potato - turkey has 15iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and turkey contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and turkey has 0.07mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and turkey contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and turkey does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Turkey has more riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. Both turkey and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of thiamin, pantothenic acid and folate.
| Turkey | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.045 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.281 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 9.573 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.948 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.616 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 11 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.02 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has 114% more calcium than turkey - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and turkey has 14mg of calcium.
iron
Turkey has 79% more iron than sweet potato - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and turkey has 1.1mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and turkey are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 41% more potassium than turkey - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and turkey has 239mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, turkey has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Turkey | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.108 G | 0.001 G |
| DHA | 0.005 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.008 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.008 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.129 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, turkey has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Turkey | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.01 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.873 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 1.883 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: Turkey (Turkey, whole, meat and skin, cooked, roasted) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Cooked Turkey 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 turkey contain more calories in 100 grams?Turkey is high in calories and sweet potato has 50% less calories than turkey - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and turkey has 189 calories.
Is sweet potatoes or turkey better for protein?
Turkey is a fantastic source of protein and it has 17 times more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and turkey has 28.6g of protein.
Does sweet potatoes or turkey have more carbohydrates?
By weight, turkey has 334.3 times fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and turkey has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or turkey contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and turkey are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 40% more potassium than turkey - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and turkey has 239mg of potassium.