Chicken vs. Spam

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Chicken and Spam


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

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

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in chicken and spam:

  • Both chicken and spam are high in calories, potassium and protein.
  • Spam has more thiamin, however, chicken contains more niacin and pantothenic acid.
  • Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
Detailed nutritional comparison of chicken and spam 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: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Spam (Luncheon meat, pork, ham, and chicken, minced, canned, reduced sodium, added ascorbic acid, includes SPAM, 25% less sodium) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Chicken src
Image of Spam src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both chicken and spam are high in calories. Spam has 55% more calories than chicken - chicken has 189 calories per 100 grams and spam has 293 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, chicken is much heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to spam per calorie. Chicken has a macronutrient ratio of 49:0:51 and for spam, 17:5:78 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Chicken Spam
Protein 49% 17%
Carbohydrates ~ 5%
Fat 51% 78%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Both spam and chicken are low in carbohydrates - spam has 3.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Both chicken and spam are high in protein. Chicken has 86% more protein than spam - chicken has 23.3g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Spam is high in saturated fat and chicken has 65% less saturated fat than spam - chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and spam has 8.9g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both chicken and spam are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Spam has 29% less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spam has 76mg of cholesterol.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has more Vitamin C than chicken - spam has 43mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin D

Spam has more Vitamin D than chicken - spam has 23iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Chicken and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and spam has 0.24mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Chicken and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.

The B Vitamins

Spam has more thiamin, however, chicken contains more niacin and pantothenic acid. Both chicken and spam contain significant amounts of riboflavin, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12.

Chicken Spam
Thiamin 0.121 MG 0.264 MG
Riboflavin 0.302 MG 0.179 MG
Niacin 7.107 MG 3.175 MG
Pantothenic acid 1.327 MG ~
Vitamin B6 0.538 MG 0.283 MG
Folate 2 UG 4 UG
Vitamin B12 0.51 UG 0.61 UG

Minerals

calcium

Chicken has more calcium than spam - chicken has 8mg of calcium per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.

iron

Chicken and spam contain similar amounts of iron - chicken has 0.93mg of iron per 100 grams and spam has 0.64mg of iron.

potassium

Both chicken and spam are high in potassium. Chicken has 20% more potassium than spam - chicken has 677mg of potassium per 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, spam has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken per 100 grams, however, chicken contains more dha and dpa than spam per 100 grams.

Chicken Spam
alpha linoleic acid 0.1 G 0.23 G
DHA 0.031 G ~
EPA 0.008 G ~
DPA 0.016 G ~
Total 0.155 G 0.23 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both chicken and spam contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Chicken Spam
other omega 6 0.02 G ~
linoleic acid 1.818 G 2.436 G
Total 1.838 G 2.436 G



Customize your serving size


The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).

You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Chicken or Spam .

Note: The specific food items compared are: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Spam (Luncheon meat, pork, ham, and chicken, minced, canned, reduced sodium, added ascorbic acid, includes SPAM, 25% less sodium) .

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FAQ

Does chicken or spam contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both chicken and spam are high in calories. Spam has 60% more calories than chicken - chicken has 189 calories in 100g and spam has 293 calories.

Is chicken or spam better for protein?
Both chicken and spam are high in protein. Chicken has 90% more protein than spam - chicken has 23.3g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.

Does chicken or spam contain more potassium?
Both chicken and spam are high in potassium. Chicken has 20% more potassium than spam - chicken has 677mg of potassium in 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.