Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
oats
versus
whey protein powder
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in oats and whey protein powder:
Both oats and whey protein powder are high in calories. Oat has 11% more calories than whey protein powder - oat has 389 calories per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, oats is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and heavier in fat compared to whey protein powder per calorie. Oats has a macronutrient ratio of 17:67:16 and for whey protein powder, 89:7:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Oats | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 17% | 89% |
| Carbohydrates | 67% | 7% |
| Fat | 16% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Oat is high in carbohydrates and whey protein powder has 91% less carbohydrates than oat - oat has 66.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 6.3g of carbohydrates.
Both oats and whey protein powder are high in dietary fiber. Oat has 242% more dietary fiber than whey protein powder - oat has 10.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 3.1g of dietary fiber.
Both oats and whey protein powder are high in protein. Whey protein powder has 363% more protein than oat - oat has 16.9g of protein per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 78.1g of protein.
Oats and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of saturated fat - oat has 1.2g of saturated fat per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 0.78g of saturated fat.
Oat has less cholesterol than whey protein powder - whey protein powder has 16mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and oat does not contain significant amounts.
Whey protein powder has more riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, oat contains more pantothenic acid. Both oats and whey protein powder contain significant amounts of thiamin, niacin and folate.
| Oats | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.763 MG | 0.609 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.139 MG | 2.017 MG |
| Niacin | 0.961 MG | 1.136 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 1.349 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.119 MG | 0.607 MG |
| Folate | 56 UG | 33 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | ~ | 2.45 UG |
Both oats and whey protein powder are high in calcium. Whey protein powder has 769% more calcium than oat - oat has 54mg of calcium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 469mg of calcium.
Oat is an excellent source of iron and it has 318% more iron than whey protein powder - oat has 4.7mg of iron per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 1.1mg of iron.
Both oats and whey protein powder are high in potassium. Whey protein powder has 17% more potassium than oat - oat has 429mg of potassium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 500mg of potassium.
For omega-3 fatty acids, oat has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than whey protein powder per 100 grams.
| Oats | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.111 G | 0.034 G |
| Total | 0.111 G | 0.034 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, oat has more linoleic acid than whey protein powder per 100 grams.
| Oats | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 2.424 G | 0.264 G |
| Total | 2.424 G | 0.264 G |
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: Oats (Oats (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) and Whey Protein Powder (Protein powder, whey based, NFS) .
Oats g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whey Protein Powder g
()
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
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5% | calories | 5% |
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KCAL % | |
| G % |
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5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
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G % | |
| G % |
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5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
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G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
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5% | total fat | 5% |
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G % | |
| G % |
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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 % |
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5% | sodium | 5% |
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| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
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| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
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| IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
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| MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
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UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
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MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
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| G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
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| UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
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| MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
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UG % | |
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5% | copper | 5% |
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MG % | |
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5% | fluoride | 5% |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
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| UG % |
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5% | selenium | 5% |
|
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5% | zinc | 5% |
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MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||