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Agar vs. Spirulina — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are Agar and Spirulina different?

  • Agar has more Iron, Manganese, Magnesium, Folate, Calcium, Vitamin B5, Zinc, Vitamin E , Potassium, and Fiber than Spirulina.
  • Daily need coverage for Iron from Agar is 233% higher.
  • Agar contains 64 times more Folate than Spirulina. While Agar contains 580µg of Folate, Spirulina contains only 9µg.

Seaweed, agar, dried and Seaweed, spirulina, raw are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

Agar vs Spirulina infographic
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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.
Agar
9
:
Contains more Calcium +5108.3%
Contains more Iron +667%
Contains more Magnesium +3952.6%
Contains more Phosphorus +372.7%
Contains more Potassium +785.8%
Contains more Zinc +2800%
Contains more Manganese +2211.8%
Contains more Selenium +957.1%
Equal in Sodium - 98
Equal in Copper - 0.597
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 188% 803% 550% 23% 100% 14% 159% 204% 561% 41%
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 4% 105% 14% 5% 12% 13% 6% 199% 25% 4%
Contains more Calcium +5108.3%
Contains more Iron +667%
Contains more Magnesium +3952.6%
Contains more Phosphorus +372.7%
Contains more Potassium +785.8%
Contains more Zinc +2800%
Contains more Manganese +2211.8%
Contains more Selenium +957.1%
Equal in Sodium - 98
Equal in Copper - 0.597

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.
Agar
5
:
Contains more Vitamin E +920.4%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +828.6%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +791.2%
Contains more Folate +6344.4%
Contains more Vitamin K +876%
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +2120%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +54.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +492.1%
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 0% 100% 0% 0% 3% 52% 4% 182% 70% 435% 0% 61%
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 4% 10% 0% 3% 56% 79% 23% 20% 8% 7% 0% 7%
Contains more Vitamin E +920.4%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +828.6%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +791.2%
Contains more Folate +6344.4%
Contains more Vitamin K +876%
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +2120%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +54.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +492.1%

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Agar
3
:
Contains more Carbs +3242.1%
Contains more Other +555%
Contains more Fats +30%
Contains more Water +944.6%
Equal in Protein - 5.92
6% 81% 9% 4%
Protein: 6.21 g
Fats: 0.3 g
Carbs: 80.88 g
Water: 8.68 g
Other: 3.93 g
6% 2% 91%
Protein: 5.92 g
Fats: 0.39 g
Carbs: 2.42 g
Water: 90.67 g
Other: 0.6 g
Contains more Carbs +3242.1%
Contains more Other +555%
Contains more Fats +30%
Contains more Water +944.6%
Equal in Protein - 5.92

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Agar
1
:
Contains less Saturated Fat -54.8%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +25.9%
Equal in Polyunsaturated fat - 0.106
32% 14% 54%
Saturated Fat: 0.061 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.027 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.102 g
49% 12% 39%
Saturated Fat: 0.135 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.034 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.106 g
Contains less Saturated Fat -54.8%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +25.9%
Equal in Polyunsaturated fat - 0.106

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Agar Spirulina Opinion
Net carbs 73.18g 2.02g Agar
Protein 6.21g 5.92g Agar
Fats 0.3g 0.39g Spirulina
Carbs 80.88g 2.42g Agar
Calories 306kcal 26kcal Agar
Sugar 2.97g 0.3g Spirulina
Fiber 7.7g 0.4g Agar
Calcium 625mg 12mg Agar
Iron 21.4mg 2.79mg Agar
Magnesium 770mg 19mg Agar
Phosphorus 52mg 11mg Agar
Potassium 1125mg 127mg Agar
Sodium 102mg 98mg Spirulina
Zinc 5.8mg 0.2mg Agar
Copper 0.61mg 0.597mg Agar
Manganese 4.3mg 0.186mg Agar
Selenium 7.4µg 0.7µg Agar
Vitamin A 0IU 56IU Spirulina
Vitamin A RAE 0µg 3µg Spirulina
Vitamin E 5mg 0.49mg Agar
Vitamin C 0mg 0.9mg Spirulina
Vitamin B1 0.01mg 0.222mg Spirulina
Vitamin B2 0.222mg 0.342mg Spirulina
Vitamin B3 0.202mg 1.196mg Spirulina
Vitamin B5 3.018mg 0.325mg Agar
Vitamin B6 0.303mg 0.034mg Agar
Folate 580µg 9µg Agar
Vitamin K 24.4µg 2.5µg Agar
Tryptophan 0.096mg Spirulina
Threonine 0.306mg Spirulina
Isoleucine 0.331mg Spirulina
Leucine 0.509mg Spirulina
Lysine 0.312mg Spirulina
Methionine 0.118mg Spirulina
Phenylalanine 0.286mg Spirulina
Valine 0.362mg Spirulina
Histidine 0.112mg Spirulina
Saturated Fat 0.061g 0.135g Agar
Omega-3 - EPA 0.087g Agar
Monounsaturated Fat 0.027g 0.034g Spirulina
Polyunsaturated fat 0.102g 0.106g Spirulina

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Agar Spirulina
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Calories diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet Equal

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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
75%
Agar
18%
Spirulina
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
264%
Agar
38%
Spirulina

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Spirulina
Spirulina is lower in Sugar (difference - 2.67g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Spirulina
Spirulina contains less Sodium (difference - 4mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Agar
Agar is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.074g)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Agar
Agar is relatively richer in minerals
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
?
The foods have equal glycemic indexes ()
Which food is cheaper?
?
The foods are relatively equal in price ($)
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

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. Agar - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170090/nutrients
  2. Spirulina - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170091/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.