Wheat Flour vs. Lentils

Nutrition comparison of Wheat Flour and Cooked Lentils


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

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

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in wheat flour and lentils:

  • Both wheat flour and lentils are high in calories, dietary fiber, iron and protein.
  • Lentil is an excellent source of potassium.
  • Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, however, lentil contains more Vitamin B6.
Detailed nutritional comparison of wheat flour and lentils 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: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Lentils (Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Wheat Flour src
Image of Lentils src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both wheat flour and lentils are high in calories. Wheat flour has 211% more calories than lentil - wheat flour has 361 calories per 100 grams and lentil has 116 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, wheat flour is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and similar to lentils for fat. Wheat flour has a macronutrient ratio of 14:82:4 and for lentils, 30:67:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Wheat Flour Lentils
Protein 14% 30%
Carbohydrates 82% 67%
Fat 4% 3%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Wheat flour is high in carbohydrates and lentil has 72% less carbohydrates than wheat flour - wheat flour has 72.5g of total carbs per 100 grams and lentil has 20.1g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Both wheat flour and lentils are high in dietary fiber. Lentil has 229% more dietary fiber than wheat flour - wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and lentil has 7.9g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Wheat flour and lentils contain similar amounts of sugar - wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar per 100 grams and lentil has 1.8g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Both wheat flour and lentils are high in protein. Wheat flour has 33% more protein than lentil - wheat flour has 12g of protein per 100 grams and lentil has 9g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both wheat flour and lentils are low in saturated fat - wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat per 100 grams and lentil has 0.05g of saturated fat.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Lentil has more Vitamin C than wheat flour - lentil has 1.5mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Lentils and wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - lentil has 2.4ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Wheat flour and lentils contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and lentil has 0.11mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Wheat flour and lentils contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and lentil has 1.7ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, however, lentil contains more Vitamin B6. Both wheat flour and lentils contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid and folate.

Wheat Flour Lentils
Thiamin 0.812 MG 0.169 MG
Riboflavin 0.512 MG 0.073 MG
Niacin 7.554 MG 1.06 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.438 MG 0.638 MG
Vitamin B6 0.037 MG 0.178 MG
Folate 183 UG 181 UG

Minerals

calcium

Wheat flour and lentils contain similar amounts of calcium - wheat flour has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and lentil has 19mg of calcium.

iron

Both wheat flour and lentils are high in iron. Wheat flour has 32% more iron than lentil - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron per 100 grams and lentil has 3.3mg of iron.

potassium

Lentil is an excellent source of potassium and it has 269% more potassium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 100mg of potassium per 100 grams and lentil has 369mg 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 wheat flour and lentils contain small amounts of beta-carotene.

Wheat Flour Lentils
beta-carotene 1 UG 5 UG
lutein + zeaxanthin 79 UG ~

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

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

Wheat Flour Lentils
alpha linoleic acid 0.043 G 0.037 G
Total 0.043 G 0.037 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, wheat flour has more linoleic acid than lentil per 100 grams.

Wheat Flour Lentils
linoleic acid 0.685 G 0.137 G
Total 0.685 G 0.137 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: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Lentils (Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) .

Wheat Flour g

()
Daily Values (%)

Cooked Lentils g

()
KCAL %
calories
KCAL %
G %
carbohydrates
G %
G %
dietary fiber
G %
G sugar G
G %
total fat
G %
G %
saturated fat
G %
G monounsaturated fat G
G polyunsaturated fat G
G trans fat G
MG cholesterol MG
MG %
sodium
MG %
Vitamins and Minerals
UG %
Vitamin A
UG %
MG %
Vitamin C
MG %
IU %
Vitamin D
IU %
MG %
calcium
MG %
MG %
iron
MG %
MG %
magnesium
MG %
MG %
potassium
MG %
MG %
thiamin (Vit B1)
MG %
MG %
riboflavin (Vit B2)
MG %
MG %
niacin (Vit B3)
MG %
MG %
Vitamin B6
MG %
MG %
pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
MG %
UG %
folate (Vit B9)
UG %
UG %
Vitamin B12
UG %
MG %
Vitamin E
MG %
UG %
Vitamin K
UG %
G %
protein
G %
UG %
biotin (Vit B7)
UG %
MG %
choline
MG %
MG %
chlorine
MG %
UG %
chromium
UG %
MG %
copper
MG %
UG %
fluoride
UG %
UG %
iodine
UG %
MG %
manganese
MG %
UG %
molybdenum
UG %
MG %
phosphorus
MG %
UG %
selenium
UG %
MG %
zinc
MG %
G Water G
G Starch G
G Alcohol G


FAQ

Does wheat flour or lentils contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both wheat flour and lentils are high in calories. Wheat flour has 210% more calories than lentil - wheat flour has 361 calories in 100g and lentil has 116 calories.

Does wheat flour or lentils have more carbohydrates?
By weight, wheat flour is high in carbohydrates and lentil has 70% fewer carbohydrates than wheat flour - wheat flour has 72.5g of carbs for 100g and lentil has 20.1g of carbohydrates.

Does wheat flour or lentils contain more iron?
Both wheat flour and lentils are high in iron. Wheat flour has 30% more iron than lentil - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron in 100 grams and lentil has 3.3mg of iron.

Does wheat flour or lentils contain more potassium?
Lentil is a rich source of potassium and it has 270% more potassium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 100mg of potassium in 100 grams and lentil has 369mg of potassium.