In the United States we use the terms Yam and Sweet Potatoes interchangeably. They are however, two different vegetables. This topic was discussed on Rachel Ray this morning, and i found it quite interesting. Although the taste is basically interchangable they are quite different in makeup. Here’s the facts:
Sweet Potato:
-yellow/orange in color
-very popular in the US
-low in calories (114 for one cup)
-lower in carbohydrates than yams (26grams)
Yam:
-darker brown in color
-not very readily available in the US (many times grocery stores will inaccurately call their sweet potatoes yams, but more often than not you’re getting the yam-scam)
-contain more sugar than the sweet potato and are higher on the glycemic index. (This means they cause more of a peak in your blood sugar, something we want to avoid.)
-1 cup contains 177 calories
-higher in carbs than sweet potatoes (42 grams)
Moral of the story…if you have the option, choose the sweet potato over the yam. You won’t taste the difference, and your better off nutritionally. More than likely you are already choosing sweet potatoes, so now you just need to get the name right. 😉
Megan I was very interested in your article on yams and sweet potatoes. Larry Sagers, our Master Gardener teacher and Utah expert on growing anything, told us the same thing. He said yams donnot even grow in the U.s.. Only in South America and other places.