How Much Oxalate Is in Yam?
mg oxalate
per serving
Serving: 1/2 cup (100 g)
Verdict: 🟡 Caution
Per 100g: 68 mg
Data: Harvard T.H. Chan SPH (2024)
Here's the takeaway: Yam falls in the Caution band (🟡) at 68 mg oxalate per serving. Not off-limits, but not free — moderate portions, a few times a week at most, and preferably with dairy or another calcium source at the same meal.
Putting Yam in context: it lands well above the category average of 27 mg. In the database, 80% of vegetables (219 of 271) fall in the 🟢 Safe group (under 25 mg oxalate/serving). The typical vegetables here averages 27 mg oxalate per serving, so Yam runs 151% above that baseline. That places it on the higher end for oxalate in its category. Why this matters: the gap between two Safe foods can be wide — one may hold 5 mg oxalate while another sits at 24 mg. The lower one leaves more room in your day. See all vegetables rated Caution for a full side-by-side.
Why does oxalate per 100g matter?
Per-100g values put every food on the same scale, which is handy when serving sizes differ a lot between foods — or when your portion doesn't match the standard serving. It lets you compare apples to apples on oxalate density. Applied to Yam: 68 mg oxalate per 1/2 cup — Caution per Harvard (2024).
How accurate is the oxalate measurement?
Harvard's 2024 analysis used ion chromatography — the gold standard for oxalate measurement. These are direct lab values, not estimates or database calculations. Variability exists between samples, but this is the most reliable reference available. Applied to Yam: 68 mg oxalate per 1/2 cup — Caution per Harvard (2024).
How does this compare to other foods?
The ratings split at 25 mg (Safe) and 100 mg (Avoid), with 25-99 mg in the Caution band. For context against similar foods, the category pages on OxalateWatch rank every item in that group by oxalate. Yam comes in at 68 mg oxalate per 1/2 cup (Caution) in the measured database.