Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
tofu
versus
whey protein powder
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in tofu and whey protein powder:
Whey protein powder is high in calories and tofu has 78% less calories than whey protein powder - tofu has 76 calories per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, tofu is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to whey protein powder for carbs. Tofu has a macronutrient ratio of 39:9:52 and for whey protein powder, 89:7:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Tofu | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 39% | 89% |
| Carbohydrates | 9% | 7% |
| Fat | 52% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Tofu and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of carbs - tofu has 1.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 6.3g of carbohydrates.
Whey protein powder is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 933% more dietary fiber than tofu - tofu has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 3.1g of dietary fiber.
Tofu and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of sugar - tofu has 0.62g of sugar per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Both tofu and whey protein powder are high in protein. Whey protein powder has 867% more protein than tofu - tofu has 8.1g of protein per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 78.1g of protein.
Both tofu and whey protein powder are low in saturated fat - tofu has 0.69g of saturated fat per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 0.78g of saturated fat.
Tofu has less cholesterol than whey protein powder - whey protein powder has 16mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and tofu does not contain significant amounts.
Tofu and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - tofu has 0.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Tofu has more Vitamin A than whey protein powder - tofu has 25.5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Tofu and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - tofu has 0.01mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Tofu and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - tofu has 2.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Whey protein powder has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, tofu contains more pantothenic acid. Both tofu and whey protein powder contain significant amounts of folate.
| Tofu | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.081 MG | 0.609 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.052 MG | 2.017 MG |
| Niacin | 0.195 MG | 1.136 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.068 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.047 MG | 0.607 MG |
| Folate | 15 UG | 33 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | ~ | 2.45 UG |
Both tofu and whey protein powder are high in calcium. Whey protein powder has 34% more calcium than tofu - tofu has 350mg of calcium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 469mg of calcium.
Tofu is an excellent source of iron and it has 374% more iron than whey protein powder - tofu has 5.4mg of iron per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 1.1mg of iron.
Whey protein powder is an excellent source of potassium and it has 313% more potassium than tofu - tofu has 121mg of potassium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 500mg of potassium.
For omega-3 fatty acids, tofu has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than whey protein powder per 100 grams.
| Tofu | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.319 G | 0.034 G |
| Total | 0.319 G | 0.034 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, tofu has more linoleic acid than whey protein powder per 100 grams.
| Tofu | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 2.38 G | 0.264 G |
| Total | 2.38 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: Tofu (Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate) and Whey Protein Powder (Protein powder, whey based, NFS) .
Tofu g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whey Protein Powder 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 | |||