Lemon vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Lemon and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
lemon
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in lemon and sweet potatoes:
- Both lemon and sweet potatoes are high in dietary fiber.
- Lemon has 54% less carbohydrates than sweet potato.
- Lemon has 66% less calories than sweet potato.
- Lemon is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
- Sweet potato has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Lemon (Lemons, raw, without peel) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Lemon has 66% less calories than sweet potato - lemon has 29 calories per 100 grams and sweet potato has 86 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, lemon is lighter in carbs, heavier in fat and similar to sweet potatoes for protein. Lemon has a macronutrient ratio of 10:84:6 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Lemon | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 10% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 84% | 92% |
| Fat | 6% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Lemon has 54% less carbohydrates than sweet potato - lemon has 9.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and sweet potato has 20.1g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both lemon and sweet potatoes are high in dietary fiber. Lemon is very similar to lemon for dietary fiber - lemon has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Lemon and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of sugar - lemon has 2.5g of sugar per 100 grams and sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Lemon and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of protein - lemon has 1.1g of protein per 100 grams and sweet potato has 1.6g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both lemon and sweet potatoes are low in saturated fat - lemon has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Lemon is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has 21 times more Vitamin C than sweet potato - lemon has 53mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 708 times more Vitamin A than lemon - lemon has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Lemon and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - lemon has 0.15mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and lemon contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and lemon does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Sweet potato has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both lemon and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of thiamin and folate.
| Lemon | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.04 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.02 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 0.1 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.19 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.08 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 11 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Lemon and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of calcium - lemon has 26mg of calcium per 100 grams and sweet potato has 30mg of calcium.
iron
Lemon and sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of iron - lemon has 0.6mg of iron per 100 grams and sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron.
potassium
Sweet potato is an excellent source of potassium and it has 144% more potassium than lemon - lemon has 138mg of potassium per 100 grams and sweet potato has 337mg 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, both lemon and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of kaempferol.
| Lemon | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| luteolin | 1.9 mg | 0.02 mg |
| kaempferol | 0.03 mg | 0.01 mg |
| myricetin | 0.5 mg | 0.03 mg |
| Quercetin | 1.14 mg | 0.01 mg |
| apigenin | ~ | 0.01 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, both lemon and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of alpha-carotene.
| Lemon | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 3 UG | 8509 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 1 UG | 7 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 11 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, lemon has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Lemon | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.026 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.026 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, lemon has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Lemon | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.063 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.063 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: Lemon (Lemons, raw, without peel) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Lemon 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 lemon or sweet potatoes contain more calories in 100 grams?Lemon has 70% less calories than sweet potato - lemon has 29 calories in 100g and sweet potato has 86 calories.
Does lemon or sweet potatoes have more carbohydrates?
By weight, lemon has 50% fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - lemon has 9.3g of carbs for 100g and sweet potato has 20.1g of carbohydrates.
Does lemon or sweet potatoes contain more potassium?
Sweet potato is a rich source of potassium and it has 140% more potassium than lemon - lemon has 138mg of potassium in 100 grams and sweet potato has 337mg of potassium.