Sweet Potatoes vs. Watercress
Nutrition comparison of Sweet Potatoes and Watercress
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
sweet potatoes
versus
watercress
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in sweet potatoes and watercress:
- Both sweet potatoes and watercress are high in Vitamin A and potassium.
- Sweet potato has more beta-carotene than watercress, however, watercress contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato.
- Sweet potato has more niacin and pantothenic acid.
- Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Watercress has 14.6 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato.
- Watercress has signficantly less calories than sweet potato.
- Watercress is an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) and Watercress (Watercress, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Watercress has signficantly less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and watercress has 11 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, sweet potatoes is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and similar to watercress for fat. Sweet potatoes has a macronutrient ratio of 7:92:1 and for watercress, 67:33:0 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Sweet Potatoes | Watercress | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 7% | 67% |
| Carbohydrates | 92% | 33% |
| Fat | 1% | ~ |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Watercress has 14.6 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and watercress has 1.3g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in sweet potatoes are made of 64% starch, 21% sugar and 15% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in watercress comprise of 71% dietary fiber and 29% sugar.
dietary fiber
Sweet potato is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 500% more dietary fiber than watercress - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and watercress has 0.5g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potatoes and watercress contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and watercress has 0.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Sweet potatoes and watercress contain similar amounts of protein - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and watercress has 2.3g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and watercress are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and watercress has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Watercress 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 watercress has 43mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Both sweet potatoes and watercress are high in Vitamin A. Sweet potato has 343% more Vitamin A than watercress - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and watercress has 160ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and watercress contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and watercress has 1mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Watercress is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 137 times more Vitamin K than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and watercress has 250ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Sweet potato has more niacin and pantothenic acid. Both sweet potatoes and watercress contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Sweet Potatoes | Watercress | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.078 MG | 0.09 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.061 MG | 0.12 MG |
| Niacin | 0.557 MG | 0.2 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.8 MG | 0.31 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.209 MG | 0.129 MG |
| Folate | 11 UG | 9 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Watercress is an excellent source of calcium and it has 300% more calcium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and watercress has 120mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potato has 205% more iron than watercress - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and watercress has 0.2mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and watercress are high in potassium. Sweet potato is very similar to watercress for potassium - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and watercress has 330mg 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 sweet potatoes and watercress contain small amounts of apigenin, luteolin and myricetin.
| Sweet Potatoes | Watercress | |
|---|---|---|
| apigenin | 0.01 mg | 0.01 mg |
| luteolin | 0.02 mg | 0.02 mg |
| kaempferol | 0.01 mg | 23.03 mg |
| myricetin | 0.03 mg | 0.2 mg |
| Quercetin | 0.01 mg | 29.99 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 watercress per 100 grams, however, watercress contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Sweet Potatoes | Watercress | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 8509 UG | 1914 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 7 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 5767 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, watercress has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Sweet Potatoes | Watercress | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.001 G | 0.023 G |
| Total | 0.001 G | 0.023 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both sweet potatoes and watercress contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Sweet Potatoes | Watercress | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.013 G | 0.012 G |
| Total | 0.013 G | 0.012 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: Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) and Watercress (Watercress, raw) .
Sweet Potatoes g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Watercress g
()
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
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5% | calories | 5% |
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KCAL % | |
| G % |
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5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
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G % | |
| G % |
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5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
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5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
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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 % |
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5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
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MG % | |
| IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
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IU % | |
| MG % |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
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MG % | |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
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UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
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MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
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UG % | |
| G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
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MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
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| MG % |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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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 watercress contain more calories in 100 grams?Watercress has signficantly less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and watercress has 11 calories.
Is sweet potatoes or watercress better for protein?
Sweet potatoes and watercress contain similar amounts of protein - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and watercress has 2.3g of protein.
Does sweet potatoes or watercress have more carbohydrates?
By weight, watercress has 14.6 times fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and watercress has 1.3g of carbohydrates. the carbs in sweet potatoes are made of 60% starch, 20% sugar and 20% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in watercress comprise of 70% dietary fiber and 30% sugar.
Does sweet potatoes or watercress contain more calcium?
Watercress is a rich source of calcium and it has 300% more calcium than sweet potato - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium in 100 grams and watercress has 120mg of calcium.
Does sweet potatoes or watercress contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and watercress are high in potassium. Sweet potato is very similar to watercress for potassium - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and watercress has 330mg of potassium.