Beef vs. Barley

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Beef and Barley


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of cooked beef versus barley (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in beef and barley:

  • Both beef and barley are high in calories, iron, potassium and protein.
  • Barley has more thiamin, however, beef contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12.
  • Barley is an excellent source of dietary fiber.
Detailed nutritional comparison of beef and barley is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Beef src
Image of Barley src

Here's an infographic summarizing the nutritional differences between beef and barley. marks particularly rich nutrients.


Calories and Carbs

calories

Both beef and barley are high in calories. Barley has 27% more calories than beef - beef has 277 calories per 100 grams and barley has 352 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, beef is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to barley per calorie. Beef has a macronutrient ratio of 38:0:62 and for barley, 11:86:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Beef Barley
Protein 38% 11%
Carbohydrates ~ 86%
Fat 62% 3%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Barley is high in carbohydrates and beef has less carbohydrates than barley - barley has 77.7g of total carbs per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.

dietary fiber

Barley is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than beef - barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Barley and beef contain similar amounts of sugar - barley has 0.8g of sugar per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Both beef and barley are high in protein. Beef has 156% more protein than barley - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Beef is high in saturated fat and barley has 97% less saturated fat than beef - beef has 7.3g of saturated fat per 100 grams and barley has 0.24g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Barley has less trans fat than beef - beef has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and barley does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Barley has less cholesterol than beef - beef has 88mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and barley does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamins

Vitamin A

Beef and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - beef has 3ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and barley has 1ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin D

Beef and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - beef has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and barley does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Beef and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - beef has 0.12mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Beef and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - beef has 3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and barley has 2.2ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Barley has more thiamin, however, beef contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12. Both beef and barley contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.

Beef Barley
Thiamin 0.051 MG 0.191 MG
Riboflavin 0.176 MG 0.114 MG
Niacin 4.537 MG 4.604 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.658 MG 0.282 MG
Vitamin B6 0.336 MG 0.26 MG
Folate 11 UG 23 UG
Vitamin B12 2.9 UG ~

Minerals

calcium

Beef and barley contain similar amounts of calcium - beef has 35mg of calcium per 100 grams and barley has 29mg of calcium.

iron

Both beef and barley are high in iron. Beef is very similar to beef for iron - beef has 2.3mg of iron per 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.

potassium

Both beef and barley are high in potassium. Beef is very similar to beef for potassium - beef has 275mg of potassium per 100 grams and barley has 280mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, both beef and barley contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).

Beef Barley
alpha linoleic acid 0.056 G 0.055 G
Total 0.056 G 0.055 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both beef and barley contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Beef Barley
other omega 6 0.012 G ~
linoleic acid 0.39 G 0.505 G
Total 0.402 G 0.505 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: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) .

Cooked Beef g

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FAQ

Does beef or barley contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both beef and barley are high in calories. Barley has 30% more calories than beef - beef has 277 calories in 100g and barley has 352 calories.

Is beef or barley better for protein?
Both beef and barley are high in protein. Beef has 160% more protein than barley - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.

Does barley or beef have more carbohydrates?
By weight, barley is high in carbohydrates and beef has fewer carbohydrates than barley - barley has 77.7g of carbs for 100g and beef has no carbs..

Does beef or barley contain more iron?
Both beef and barley are high in iron. Beef is very similar to beef for iron - beef has 2.3mg of iron in 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.

Does beef or barley contain more potassium?
Both beef and barley are high in potassium. Beef is very similar to beef for potassium - beef has 275mg of potassium in 100 grams and barley has 280mg of potassium.