Spam vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Spam and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
spam
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in spam and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and spam are high in potassium.
- Spam has 4.9 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato.
- Spam has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B12, however, sweet potato contains more pantothenic acid and folate.
- Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C and protein.
- Sweet potato has signficantly more calcium than spam.
- Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Spam (Luncheon meat, pork, ham, and chicken, minced, canned, reduced sodium, added ascorbic acid, includes SPAM, 25% less sodium) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Spam is high in calories and sweet potato has 71% less calories than spam - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and spam has 293 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, spam is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to sweet potatoes per calorie. Spam has a macronutrient ratio of 17:5:78 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Spam | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 17% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 5% | 92% |
| Fat | 78% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Spam has 4.9 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and spam has 3.4g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than spam - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Spam has less sugar than sweet potato - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Spam is an excellent source of protein and it has 696% more protein than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Spam is high in saturated fat and sweet potato has 100% less saturated fat than spam - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and spam has 8.9g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Sweet potato has less cholesterol than spam - spam has 76mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has 16 times more Vitamin C than sweet potato - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and spam has 43mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than spam - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Spam has more Vitamin D than sweet potato - spam has 23iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and sweet potato does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and spam has 0.24mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sweet potatoes and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Spam has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B12, however, sweet potato contains more pantothenic acid and folate. Both spam and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of Vitamin B6.
| Spam | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.264 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.179 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 3.175 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | ~ | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.283 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 4 UG | 11 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.61 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potato has signficantly more calcium than spam - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
iron
Sweet potatoes and spam contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and spam has 0.64mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and spam are high in potassium. Spam has 67% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, spam has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Spam | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.23 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.23 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, spam has more linoleic acid than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Spam | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 2.436 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 2.436 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: Spam (Luncheon meat, pork, ham, and chicken, minced, canned, reduced sodium, added ascorbic acid, includes SPAM, 25% less sodium) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Spam 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 spam contain more calories in 100 grams?Spam is high in calories and sweet potato has 70% less calories than spam - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and spam has 293 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or spam have more carbohydrates?
By weight, spam has 4.9 times fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and spam has 3.4g of carbohydrates.
Does sweet potatoes or spam contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and spam are high in potassium. Spam has 70% more potassium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.