Cheese vs. Skim Milk
Nutrition comparison of Cheese and Skim Milk
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cheese
versus
skim milk
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and skim milk:
- Both skim milk and cheese are high in calcium.
- Cheese has more folate and Vitamin B12.
- Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and protein.
- Skim milk has 46.5 times less cholesterol than cheese.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Skim Milk (Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim)) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Cheese is high in calories and skim milk has 91% less calories than cheese - skim milk has 34 calories per 100 grams and cheese has 384 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheese is lighter in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to skim milk per calorie. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for skim milk, 40:58:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25% | 40% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 58% |
| Fat | 75% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both skim milk and cheese are low in carbohydrates - skim milk has 5g of total carbs per 100 grams and cheese has 0.13g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Cheese has less sugar than skim milk - skim milk has 5.1g of sugar per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Cheese is an excellent source of protein and it has 599% more protein than skim milk - skim milk has 3.4g of protein per 100 grams and cheese has 23.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cheese is high in saturated fat and skim milk has 100% less saturated fat than cheese - skim milk has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Skim milk has 46.5 times less cholesterol than cheese - skim milk has 2mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cheese has 95mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 185% more Vitamin A than skim milk - skim milk has 61ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Skim milk has 124% more Vitamin D than cheese - skim milk has 47iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Skim milk and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - skim milk has 0.01mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cheese and skim milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and skim milk does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Cheese has more folate and Vitamin B12. Both cheese and skim milk contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.045 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.318 MG | 0.182 MG |
| Niacin | 0.114 MG | 0.094 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.249 MG | 0.357 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.061 MG | 0.037 MG |
| Folate | 13 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.23 UG | 0.5 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both skim milk and cheese are high in calcium. Cheese has 440% more calcium than skim milk - skim milk has 122mg of calcium per 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.
iron
Cheese has 18 times more iron than skim milk - skim milk has 0.03mg of iron per 100 grams and cheese has 0.59mg of iron.
potassium
Skim milk has 84% more potassium than cheese - skim milk has 156mg of potassium per 100 grams and cheese has 85mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than skim milk per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.332 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.332 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, cheese has more linoleic acid than skim milk per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.532 G | 0.002 G |
| Total | 0.532 G | 0.002 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.
Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Skim 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 skim milk or cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?Cheese is high in calories and skim milk has 90% less calories than cheese - skim milk has 34 calories in 100g and cheese has 384 calories.
Is skim milk or cheese better for protein?
Cheese is a fantastic source of protein and it has 600% more protein than skim milk - skim milk has 3.4g of protein per 100 grams and cheese has 23.5g of protein.
Does skim milk or cheese have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both skim milk and cheese are low in carbohydrates - skim milk has 5g of carbs for 100g and cheese has 0.13g of carbohydrates.
Does skim milk or cheese contain more calcium?
Both skim milk and cheese are high in calcium. Cheese has 440% more calcium than skim milk - skim milk has 122mg of calcium in 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.