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  6. Barley vs. Couscous

Barley vs. Couscous — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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A recap on differences between Barley and Couscous

  • Barley is higher in Iron, Fiber, Manganese, Copper, Vitamin B3, and Zinc, yet Couscous is higher in Selenium.
  • Couscous covers your daily Selenium needs 34% more than Barley.
  • Barley contains 4 times more Choline than Couscous. While Barley contains 13.4mg of Choline, Couscous contains only 3.3mg.

Food varieties used in this article are Barley, pearled, cooked and Couscous, cooked.

Infographic

Barley vs Couscous infographic
Infographic link

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Barley
Barley
9
:
1
Couscous
Couscous
Contains more Calcium +37.5%
Contains more Iron +250%
Contains more Magnesium +175%
Contains more Phosphorus +145.5%
Contains more Potassium +60.3%
Contains less Sodium -40%
Contains more Zinc +215.4%
Contains more Copper +156.1%
Contains more Manganese +208.3%
Contains more Selenium +219.8%
Barley
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 4% 50% 16% 24% 9% 1% 23% 35% 34% 47%
Couscous
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 3% 15% 6% 10% 6% 1% 8% 14% 11% 150%
Contains more Calcium +37.5%
Contains more Iron +250%
Contains more Magnesium +175%
Contains more Phosphorus +145.5%
Contains more Potassium +60.3%
Contains less Sodium -40%
Contains more Zinc +215.4%
Contains more Copper +156.1%
Contains more Manganese +208.3%
Contains more Selenium +219.8%

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Barley
Barley
7
:
2
Couscous
Couscous
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +31.7%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +129.6%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +109.9%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +125.5%
Contains more Vitamin K +700%
Contains more Vitamin E +1200%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +174.8%
Equal in Folate - 15
Barley
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 1% 1% 0% 0% 21% 15% 39% 9% 27% 12% 0% 2%
Couscous
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 0% 3% 0% 0% 16% 7% 19% 23% 12% 12% 0% 1%
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +31.7%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +129.6%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +109.9%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +125.5%
Contains more Vitamin K +700%
Contains more Vitamin E +1200%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +174.8%
Equal in Folate - 15

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Barley
Barley
3
:
2
Couscous
Couscous
Contains more Fats +175%
Contains more Carbs +21.5%
Contains more Protein +67.7%
Equal in Water - 72.57
Equal in Other - 0.26
Barley
2% 28% 69%
Protein: 2.26 g
Fats: 0.44 g
Carbs: 28.22 g
Water: 68.8 g
Other: 0.28 g
Couscous
4% 23% 73%
Protein: 3.79 g
Fats: 0.16 g
Carbs: 23.22 g
Water: 72.57 g
Other: 0.26 g
Contains more Fats +175%
Contains more Carbs +21.5%
Contains more Protein +67.7%
Equal in Water - 72.57
Equal in Other - 0.26

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Barley
Barley
2
:
1
Couscous
Couscous
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +159.1%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +234.4%
Contains less Saturated Fat -68.8%
Barley
26% 16% 59%
Saturated Fat: 0.093 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.057 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.214 g
Couscous
25% 19% 56%
Saturated Fat: 0.029 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.022 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.064 g
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +159.1%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +234.4%
Contains less Saturated Fat -68.8%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Barley Couscous
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in price ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Rich in minerals ok
Rich in vitamins ok
Lower in Cholesterol Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Barley Couscous Opinion
Net carbs 24.42g 21.82g Barley
Protein 2.26g 3.79g Couscous
Fats 0.44g 0.16g Barley
Carbs 28.22g 23.22g Barley
Calories 123kcal 112kcal Barley
Sugar 0.28g 0.1g Couscous
Fiber 3.8g 1.4g Barley
Calcium 11mg 8mg Barley
Iron 1.33mg 0.38mg Barley
Magnesium 22mg 8mg Barley
Phosphorus 54mg 22mg Barley
Potassium 93mg 58mg Barley
Sodium 3mg 5mg Barley
Zinc 0.82mg 0.26mg Barley
Copper 0.105mg 0.041mg Barley
Manganese 0.259mg 0.084mg Barley
Selenium 8.6µg 27.5µg Couscous
Vitamin A 7IU 0IU Barley
Vitamin E 0.01mg 0.13mg Couscous
Vitamin B1 0.083mg 0.063mg Barley
Vitamin B2 0.062mg 0.027mg Barley
Vitamin B3 2.063mg 0.983mg Barley
Vitamin B5 0.135mg 0.371mg Couscous
Vitamin B6 0.115mg 0.051mg Barley
Folate 16µg 15µg Barley
Vitamin K 0.8µg 0.1µg Barley
Tryptophan 0.038mg 0.049mg Couscous
Threonine 0.077mg 0.1mg Couscous
Isoleucine 0.083mg 0.147mg Couscous
Leucine 0.154mg 0.259mg Couscous
Lysine 0.084mg 0.073mg Barley
Methionine 0.043mg 0.059mg Couscous
Phenylalanine 0.127mg 0.184mg Couscous
Valine 0.111mg 0.162mg Couscous
Histidine 0.051mg 0.077mg Couscous
Saturated Fat 0.093g 0.029g Couscous
Monounsaturated Fat 0.057g 0.022g Barley
Polyunsaturated fat 0.214g 0.064g Barley

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Barley Couscous
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Calories diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
10%
Barley
7%
Couscous
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
24%
Barley
22%
Couscous

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Couscous
Couscous is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.18g)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Couscous
Couscous is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.064g)
Which food is cheaper?
Couscous
Couscous is cheaper (difference - $0.2)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Barley
Barley contains less Sodium (difference - 2mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Barley
Barley is lower in glycemic index (difference - 37)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Barley
Barley is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Barley
Barley is relatively richer in vitamins
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Barley - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170285/nutrients
  2. Couscous - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169700/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.