Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
soy protein powder
versus
whey protein powder
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in soy protein powder and whey protein powder:
Both whey protein powder and soy protein powder are high in calories. Soy protein powder has a little more calories (10%) than whey protein powder by weight - whey protein powder has 352 calories per 100 grams and soy protein powder has 388 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, soy protein powder is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and heavier in fat compared to whey protein powder per calorie. Soy protein powder has a macronutrient ratio of 57:30:13 and for whey protein powder, 89:7:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Soy Protein Powder | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 57% | 89% |
| Carbohydrates | 30% | 7% |
| Fat | 13% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Whey protein powder has signficantly less carbohydrates than soy protein powder - whey protein powder has 6.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and soy protein powder has 28.9g of carbohydrates.
Both whey protein powder and soy protein powder are high in dietary fiber. Soy protein powder has 116% more dietary fiber than whey protein powder - whey protein powder has 3.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and soy protein powder has 6.7g of dietary fiber.
Soy protein powder is high in sugar and whey protein powder has less sugar than soy protein powder - soy protein powder has 22.2g of sugar per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Both whey protein powder and soy protein powder are high in protein. Whey protein powder has 41% more protein than soy protein powder - whey protein powder has 78.1g of protein per 100 grams and soy protein powder has 55.6g of protein.
Whey protein powder and soy protein powder contain similar amounts of saturated fat - whey protein powder has 0.78g of saturated fat per 100 grams and soy protein powder has 1.1g of saturated fat.
Soy protein powder has less cholesterol than whey protein powder - whey protein powder has 16mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and soy protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Whey protein powder has more thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, soy protein powder contains more niacin and folate.
| Soy Protein Powder | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.288 MG | 0.609 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.164 MG | 2.017 MG |
| Niacin | 2.357 MG | 1.136 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.164 MG | 0.607 MG |
| Folate | 289 UG | 33 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | ~ | 2.45 UG |
Both whey protein powder and soy protein powder are high in calcium. Whey protein powder has 163% more calcium than soy protein powder - whey protein powder has 469mg of calcium per 100 grams and soy protein powder has 178mg of calcium.
Soy protein powder is an excellent source of iron and it has 962% more iron than whey protein powder - whey protein powder has 1.1mg of iron per 100 grams and soy protein powder has 12mg of iron.
Both whey protein powder and soy protein powder are high in potassium. Soy protein powder has 87% more potassium than whey protein powder - whey protein powder has 500mg of potassium per 100 grams and soy protein powder has 933mg of potassium.
For omega-3 fatty acids, soy protein powder has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than whey protein powder per 100 grams.
| Soy Protein Powder | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.32 G | 0.034 G |
| Total | 0.32 G | 0.034 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, soy protein powder has more linoleic acid than whey protein powder per 100 grams.
| Soy Protein Powder | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 2.381 G | 0.264 G |
| Total | 2.381 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: Soy Protein Powder (Protein powder, soy based, NFS) and Whey Protein Powder (Protein powder, whey based, NFS) .
Soy Protein Powder 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% |
|
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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MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
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MG % | |
| IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
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IU % | |
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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 % | |
| 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% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
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| G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
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UG % | |
| 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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MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
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UG % | |
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5% | copper | 5% |
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MG % | |
| UG % |
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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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5% | selenium | 5% |
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5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||