Barley vs. Milk
Nutrition comparison of Barley and Milk
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
barley
versus
milk
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in barley and milk:
- Barley has 4.1 times less saturated fat than milk.
- Barley has 5.3 times less sugar than milk.
- Barley has more thiamin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, milk contains more Vitamin B12.
- Barley is a great source of iron, potassium and protein.
- Barley is an excellent source of dietary fiber.
- Milk is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Milk (Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Barley is high in calories and milk has 86% less calories than barley - barley has 352 calories per 100 grams and milk has 50 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, barley is lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to milk per calorie. Barley has a macronutrient ratio of 11:86:3 and for milk, 27:38:35 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Barley | Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 27% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 38% |
| Fat | 3% | 35% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Barley is high in carbohydrates and milk has 94% less carbohydrates than barley - barley has 77.7g of total carbs per 100 grams and milk has 4.8g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Barley is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than milk - barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and milk does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Barley has 5.3 times less sugar than milk - barley has 0.8g of sugar per 100 grams and milk has 5.1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Barley is a great source of protein and it has 200% more protein than milk - barley has 9.9g of protein per 100 grams and milk has 3.3g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Barley has 4.1 times less saturated fat than milk - barley has 0.24g of saturated fat per 100 grams and milk has 1.3g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both milk and barley are low in trans fat - milk has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and barley does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Both milk and barley are low in cholesterol - milk has 8mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and barley does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Milk and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - milk has 0.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and barley does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Milk has 54 times more Vitamin A than barley - barley has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and milk has 55ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Milk has more Vitamin D than barley - milk has 49iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and barley does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Barley and milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and milk has 0.03mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Barley and milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - barley has 2.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and milk has 0.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Barley has more thiamin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, milk contains more Vitamin B12. Both barley and milk contain significant amounts of riboflavin and pantothenic acid.
| Barley | Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.191 MG | 0.039 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.114 MG | 0.185 MG |
| Niacin | 4.604 MG | 0.092 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.282 MG | 0.356 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.038 MG |
| Folate | 23 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | ~ | 0.53 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Milk is an excellent source of calcium and it has 314% more calcium than barley - barley has 29mg of calcium per 100 grams and milk has 120mg of calcium.
iron
Barley is a great source of iron and it has 124 times more iron than milk - barley has 2.5mg of iron per 100 grams and milk has 0.02mg of iron.
potassium
Barley is a great source of potassium and it has 100% more potassium than milk - barley has 280mg of potassium per 100 grams and milk has 140mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
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, both barley and milk contain small amounts of beta-carotene.
| Barley | Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 13 UG | 4 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 160 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, barley has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than milk per 100 grams.
| Barley | Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.008 G |
| Total | 0.055 G | 0.008 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, barley has more linoleic acid than milk per 100 grams.
| Barley | Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.505 G | 0.062 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.004 G |
| Total | 0.505 G | 0.066 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.
Barley g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Milk g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
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 % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
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 barley or milk contain more calories in 100 grams?Barley is high in calories and milk has 90% less calories than barley - barley has 352 calories in 100g and milk has 50 calories.
Does barley or milk have more carbohydrates?
By weight, barley is high in carbohydrates and milk has 90% fewer carbohydrates than barley - barley has 77.7g of carbs for 100g and milk has 4.8g of carbohydrates.
Does barley or milk contain more calcium?
Milk is a rich source of calcium and it has 310% more calcium than barley - barley has 29mg of calcium in 100 grams and milk has 120mg of calcium.