Chicken vs. Spirulina
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Chicken and Spirulina
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
chicken
versus
spirulina
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in chicken and spirulina:
- Both spirulina and chicken are high in calories, potassium and protein.
- Chicken has signficantly less carbohydrates than spirulina.
- Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and folate, however, chicken contains more Vitamin B12.
- Spirulina has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken.
- Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than chicken.
- Spirulina is an excellent source of calcium, dietary fiber and iron.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both spirulina and chicken are high in calories. Spirulina has 53% more calories than chicken - spirulina has 290 calories per 100 grams and chicken has 189 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, chicken is lighter in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to spirulina per calorie. Chicken has a macronutrient ratio of 49:0:52 and for spirulina, 58:24:18 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Chicken | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 49% | 58% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 24% |
| Fat | 52% | 18% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Chicken has signficantly less carbohydrates than spirulina - spirulina has 23.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
dietary fiber
Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than chicken - spirulina has 3.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Chicken has less sugar than spirulina - spirulina has 3.1g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both spirulina and chicken are high in protein. Spirulina has 147% more protein than chicken - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Spirulina and chicken contain similar amounts of saturated fat - spirulina has 2.7g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both chicken and spirulina are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Spirulina has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than chicken - spirulina has 10.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Spirulina has more Vitamin A than chicken - spirulina has 29ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Spirulina has 11 times more Vitamin E than chicken - spirulina has 5mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Spirulina has 11 times more Vitamin K than chicken - spirulina has 25.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and folate, however, chicken contains more Vitamin B12. Both chicken and spirulina contain significant amounts of niacin and Vitamin B6.
| Chicken | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.121 MG | 2.38 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.302 MG | 3.67 MG |
| Niacin | 7.107 MG | 12.82 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 1.327 MG | 3.48 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.538 MG | 0.364 MG |
| Folate | 2 UG | 94 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.51 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Spirulina is an excellent source of calcium and it has 14 times more calcium than chicken - spirulina has 120mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.
iron
Spirulina is an excellent source of iron and it has 29 times more iron than chicken - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.
potassium
Both spirulina and chicken are high in potassium. Spirulina has 101% more potassium than chicken - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, spirulina has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken per 100 grams, however, chicken contains more dha and dpa than spirulina per 100 grams.
| Chicken | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.1 G | 0.823 G |
| DHA | 0.031 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.008 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.016 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.155 G | 0.823 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both chicken and spirulina contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Chicken | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.02 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.818 G | 1.254 G |
| Total | 1.838 G | 1.254 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.
Cooked Chicken g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Spirulina 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 spirulina or chicken contain more calories in 100 grams?Both spirulina and chicken are high in calories. Spirulina has 50% more calories than chicken - spirulina has 290 calories in 100g and chicken has 189 calories.
Is spirulina or chicken better for protein?
Both spirulina and chicken are high in protein. Spirulina has 150% more protein than chicken - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.
Does spirulina or chicken contain more calcium?
Spirulina is a rich source of calcium and it has 14 times more calcium than chicken - spirulina has 120mg of calcium in 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.
Does spirulina or chicken contain more iron?
Spirulina is an abundant source of iron and it has 29 times more iron than chicken - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron in 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.
Does spirulina or chicken contain more potassium?
Both spirulina and chicken are high in potassium. Spirulina has 100% more potassium than chicken - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium in 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.