Cream Cheese vs. Spirulina
Nutrition comparison of Cream Cheese and Spirulina
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cream cheese
versus
spirulina
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cream cheese and spirulina:
- Both spirulina and cream cheese are high in calcium and calories.
- Cream cheese has 3.3 times less carbohydrates than spirulina.
- Cream cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
- Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, cream cheese contains more Vitamin B12.
- Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than cream cheese.
- Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber, iron, potassium and protein.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cream Cheese (Cheese, cream) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both spirulina and cream cheese are high in calories. Cream cheese has 21% more calories than spirulina - spirulina has 290 calories per 100 grams and cream cheese has 350 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cream cheese is much lighter in protein, lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to spirulina per calorie. Cream cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 7:6:87 and for spirulina, 59:25:17 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cream Cheese | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 7% | 59% |
| Carbohydrates | 6% | 25% |
| Fat | 87% | 17% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Cream cheese has 3.3 times less carbohydrates than spirulina - spirulina has 23.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and cream cheese has 5.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than cream cheese - spirulina has 3.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and cream cheese does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Spirulina and cream cheese contain similar amounts of sugar - spirulina has 3.1g of sugar per 100 grams and cream cheese has 3.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Spirulina is an excellent source of protein and it has 834% more protein than cream cheese - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and cream cheese has 6.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cream cheese is high in saturated fat and spirulina has 87% less saturated fat than cream cheese - spirulina has 2.7g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cream cheese has 20.2g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Spirulina has less trans fat than cream cheese - cream cheese has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Spirulina has less cholesterol than cream cheese - cream cheese has 101mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than cream cheese - spirulina has 10.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and cream cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Cream cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 962% more Vitamin A than spirulina - spirulina has 29ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cream cheese has 308ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Spirulina has 481% more Vitamin E than cream cheese - spirulina has 5mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cream cheese has 0.86mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Spirulina has 11 times more Vitamin K than cream cheese - spirulina has 25.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cream cheese has 2.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, cream cheese contains more Vitamin B12.
| Cream Cheese | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 2.38 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.23 MG | 3.67 MG |
| Niacin | 0.091 MG | 12.82 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.517 MG | 3.48 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.056 MG | 0.364 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 94 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.22 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Both spirulina and cream cheese are high in calcium. Spirulina has 24% more calcium than cream cheese - spirulina has 120mg of calcium per 100 grams and cream cheese has 97mg of calcium.
iron
Spirulina is an excellent source of iron and it has 258 times more iron than cream cheese - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron per 100 grams and cream cheese has 0.11mg of iron.
potassium
Spirulina is an excellent source of potassium and it has 933% more potassium than cream cheese - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium per 100 grams and cream cheese has 132mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids,
| Cream Cheese | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 59 UG | 342 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 1 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 7 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, spirulina has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than cream cheese per 100 grams, however, cream cheese contains more dpa than spirulina per 100 grams.
| Cream Cheese | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.131 G | 0.823 G |
| EPA | 0.01 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.02 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.161 G | 0.823 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both cream cheese and spirulina contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Cream Cheese | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.036 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.212 G | 1.254 G |
| Total | 1.248 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.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Cream Cheese (Cheese, cream) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) .
Cream Cheese 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 cream cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?Both spirulina and cream cheese are high in calories. Cream cheese has 20% more calories than spirulina - spirulina has 290 calories in 100g and cream cheese has 350 calories.
Is spirulina or cream cheese better for protein?
Spirulina is a fantastic source of protein and it has 830% more protein than cream cheese - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and cream cheese has 6.2g of protein.
Does spirulina or cream cheese contain more calcium?
Both spirulina and cream cheese are high in calcium. Spirulina has 20% more calcium than cream cheese - spirulina has 120mg of calcium in 100 grams and cream cheese has 97mg of calcium.
Does spirulina or cream cheese contain more iron?
Spirulina is an abundant source of iron and it has 258 times more iron than cream cheese - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron in 100 grams and cream cheese has 0.11mg of iron.
Does spirulina or cream cheese contain more potassium?
Spirulina is a rich source of potassium and it has 930% more potassium than cream cheese - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium in 100 grams and cream cheese has 132mg of potassium.