Cashews vs. Chia Seeds
Nutrition comparison of Cashews and Chia Seeds
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cashews
versus
chia seeds
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cashews and chia seeds:
- Both cashews and chia seeds are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron, potassium and protein.
- Chia seed has more riboflavin and niacin, however, cashew contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Chia seed is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cashews (Nuts, cashew nuts, raw) and Chia Seeds (Seeds, chia seeds, dried) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both cashews and chia seeds are high in calories. Cashew has 14% more calories than chia seed - cashew has 553 calories per 100 grams and chia seed has 486 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cashews is lighter in carbs, heavier in fat and similar to chia seeds for protein. Cashews has a macronutrient ratio of 13:21:67 and for chia seeds, 13:33:54 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cashews | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 13% | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 21% | 33% |
| Fat | 67% | 54% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cashews and chia seeds are high in carbohydrates. Chia seed has 40% more carbohydrates than cashew - cashew has 30.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and chia seed has 42.1g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both cashews and chia seeds are high in dietary fiber. Chia seed has 942% more dietary fiber than cashew - cashew has 3.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chia seed has 34.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Chia seed has less sugar than cashew - cashew has 5.9g of sugar per 100 grams and chia seed does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both cashews and chia seeds are high in protein. Cashew has a little more protein (10%) than chia seed by weight - cashew has 18.2g of protein per 100 grams and chia seed has 16.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cashew is high in saturated fat and chia seed has 57% less saturated fat than cashew - cashew has 7.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chia seed has 3.3g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both chia seeds and cashews are low in trans fat - chia seed has 0.14g of trans fat per 100 grams and cashew does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Cashews and chia seeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - cashew has 0.5mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chia seed has 1.6mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Chia seed has more Vitamin A than cashew - chia seed has 16.2ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cashew does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Cashews and chia seeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cashew has 0.9mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chia seed has 0.5mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cashew has more Vitamin K than chia seed - cashew has 34.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chia seed does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Chia seed has more riboflavin and niacin, however, cashew contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both cashews and chia seeds contain significant amounts of thiamin and folate.
| Cashews | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.423 MG | 0.62 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.058 MG | 0.17 MG |
| Niacin | 1.062 MG | 8.83 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.864 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.417 MG | ~ |
| Folate | 25 UG | 49 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Chia seed is an excellent source of calcium and it has 16 times more calcium than cashew - cashew has 37mg of calcium per 100 grams and chia seed has 631mg of calcium.
iron
Both cashews and chia seeds are high in iron. Chia seed has 16% more iron than cashew - cashew has 6.7mg of iron per 100 grams and chia seed has 7.7mg of iron.
potassium
Both cashews and chia seeds are high in potassium. Cashew has 62% more potassium than chia seed - cashew has 660mg of potassium per 100 grams and chia seed has 407mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, chia seed has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than cashew per 100 grams.
| Cashews | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.062 G | 17.83 G |
| Total | 0.062 G | 17.83 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both cashews and chia seeds contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Cashews | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.266 G | 0.093 G |
| linoleic acid | 7.782 G | 5.835 G |
| Total | 8.048 G | 5.928 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: Cashews (Nuts, cashew nuts, raw) and Chia Seeds (Seeds, chia seeds, dried) .
Cashews g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Chia Seeds 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 cashews or chia seeds contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cashews and chia seeds are high in calories. Cashew has 10% more calories than chia seed - cashew has 553 calories in 100g and chia seed has 486 calories.
Does cashews or chia seeds have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both cashews and chia seeds are high in carbohydrates. chia seed has 40% more carbohydrates than cashew - cashew has 30.2g of carbs for 100g and chia seed has 42.1g of carbohydrates.
Does cashews or chia seeds contain more calcium?
Chia seed is a rich source of calcium and it has 16 times more calcium than cashew - cashew has 37mg of calcium in 100 grams and chia seed has 631mg of calcium.
Does cashews or chia seeds contain more iron?
Both cashews and chia seeds are high in iron. Chia seed has 20% more iron than cashew - cashew has 6.7mg of iron in 100 grams and chia seed has 7.7mg of iron.
Does cashews or chia seeds contain more potassium?
Both cashews and chia seeds are high in potassium. Cashew has 60% more potassium than chia seed - cashew has 660mg of potassium in 100 grams and chia seed has 407mg of potassium.