Sweet potatoes have more fiber and WAY more vitamin A. They are also higher in fat.

First off sweet potato and Yam are not the same thing. Sweet potatoes are often mistakenly called yams, but they are two different vegetables. Sweet potatoes are the root of a vine in the morning glory family and native to the New World tropics. Its history dates back to 750 B.C. in Peruvian records. Columbus brought the sweet potato to the New World from the island of Saint Thomas. Sweet potatoes are a Southern US favorite, particularly for the Thanksgiving holiday ------------------- Yam, cooked, boiled, drained, or baked, without salt http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20hy.html This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese. ----------------------------- Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, without salt [Sweetpotato] http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20h1.html The Good This food is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6 and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Manganese. ---------------------------- Nutritional Summary for Potatoes, white, flesh and skin, baked http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20f9.html This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6 and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin C. --------------------------- Sweet Potato and Yam Differences: http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookvegetables/a/sweetpotatodiff.htm Sweet Potatoes Popular in the American South, these yellow or orange tubers are elongated with ends that taper to a point and are of two dominant types. The paler-skinned sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin with pale yellow flesh which is not sweet and has a dry, crumbly texture similar to a white baking potato. The darker-skinned variety (which is most often called "yam" in error) has a thicker, dark orange to reddish skin with a vivid orange, sweet flesh and a moist texture. Current popular sweet potato varieties include Goldrush, Georgia Red, Centennial, Puerto Rico, New Jersey, and Velvet. Yams The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato. Slowly becoming more common in US markets, the yam is a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets, with over 150 varieties available worldwide. Generally sweeter than than the sweet potato, this tuber can grow over seven feet in length. The word yam comes from African words njam, nyami, or djambi, meaning "to eat," and was first recorded in America in 1676. The yam tuber has a brown or black skin which resembles the bark of a tree and off-white, purple or red flesh, depending on the variety. They are at home growing in tropical climates, primarily in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Yams contain more natural sugar than sweet potatoes and have a higher moisture content. They are also marketed by their Spanish names, boniato and ñame. ----------------------- http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=917790 sweet pot.....raw cubed 1 cup...140cals...2pro...32carbs...4 fiber...0.4 fat (1 medium baked in skin...117cals...2p...28carbs...3 fib...0.1 fat) yam.......raw cubed 1 cup.........177cals...2pro...42carbs...6 fiber...0.3 fat (1 cup, boiled, drained cubed..158cals...2 pro...38 carbs...5 fiber...0.2 fat) ------------------------- http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/hl/nutrition/package/0,14343,1123857,00.html Potato, (6 oz.) 189 calories .17 grams fat 4.2 grams fiber Sweet Potato, (6 oz) 214 calories .19 grams fat 7.1 grams fiber

Should you avoid white potatoes and eat sweet potatoes instead? Both white potatoes and sweet potatoes contain a variety of nutrients. Here’s the comparison: 7-ounce white potato with skin: 220 calories, 5g protein, 51g carbs, 20mg calcium, 115mg phosphorus, 2.8mg iron, 16mg sodium, 844mg potassium, 4g fiber, .22mg thiamin, .07mg riboflavin, 3.3mg niacin, 16mg vitamin C 7-ounce sweet potato: 208 calories, 3.5g protein, 49g carbs, 56mg calcium, 110mg phosphorus, 1mg iron, 20mg sodium, 693mg potassium, 5g fiber, 4350 RE vitamin A, .14mg thiamin, .13mg riboflavin, 1.2mg niacin, 49mg vitamin C. So, as you can see, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin A, and have a little more vitamin C and calcium (but less iron) than white potatoes; otherwise they're pretty much equal. We eat the potato skins as well as the flesh; the skins of many vegetables and fruits are concentrated sources of nutrients and fiber. If you’re diabetic or trying to lose weight, eat your root vegetables WITH other foods, not alone as snacks.

Purple sweet potato can fight cancer A new breed of sweet potato is being touted as the superfood ot the future, with experts saying the vegetable may stop people from getting cancer. The designer sweet potato, grown for its anti-cancer purple pigment, is also said to contain anti-aging and antioxidant chemicals, the Daily Telegraph reported. Soyoung Lim, a researcher from Kansas State University, developed the variety of sweet potato to boost its cancer-fighting properties. Lim said the colouring contained the chemical anthocyanin, which lowers the risk of cancer and could even slow down some types of the disease; “Sometimes we can find purple sweet potatoes, but they don't have this purple colour on the skin and inside," said Lim. Although anthocyamin has been associated to reduced cancer risk, the anti-cancer properties of the purple sweet potato are still uncertain, he added AGENCIES

Purple sweet potato can fight cancer A new breed of sweet potato is being touted as the superfood ot the future, with experts saying the vegetable may stop people from getting cancer. The designer sweet potato, grown for its anti-cancer purple pigment, is also said to contain anti-aging and antioxidant chemicals, the Daily Telegraph reported. Soyoung Lim, a researcher from Kansas State University, developed the variety of sweet potato to boost its cancer-fighting properties. Lim said the colouring contained the chemical anthocyanin, which lowers the risk of cancer and could even slow down some types of the disease; “Sometimes we can find purple sweet potatoes, but they don't have this purple colour on the skin and inside," said Lim. Although anthocyamin has been associated to reduced cancer risk, the anti-cancer properties of the purple sweet potato are still uncertain, he added AGENCIES

That "best answer" is not best at all, it's misleading. Raw potatoes have 284 calories per cup, out of which 3 are from fat. They're high in Vitamin C (121% of Daily Value or DV), Iron (16%) and Calcium (4%). Compared to raw yams, which are lower in calories - 117 calories per cup, out of which 2 are from fat. They contain 43% DV of Vitamin C, 4% of Vitamin A, 4% of Iron and 3% Calcium.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), ranks the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest vegetable by more than 100 points. Points were given for content of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars and caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food. Sweet potato baked 184 Potato, baked 83 +4