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  6. American cheese vs. Ricotta

American cheese vs. Ricotta — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are American cheese and Ricotta different?

  • American cheese has more Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamin B12, Vitamin A RAE, Zinc, and Selenium than Ricotta.
  • Daily need coverage for Calcium from American cheese is 84% higher.
  • American cheese contains 20 times more Sodium than Ricotta. While American cheese contains 1671mg of Sodium, Ricotta contains only 84mg.

Cheese, pasteurized process, American, without added vitamin D and Cheese, ricotta, whole milk are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

American cheese vs Ricotta 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.
American cheese
American cheese
9
:
1
Ricotta
Ricotta
Contains more Calcium +404.8%
Contains more Iron +65.8%
Contains more Magnesium +136.4%
Contains more Phosphorus +305.7%
Contains more Potassium +25.7%
Contains more Zinc +114.7%
Contains more Copper +119%
Contains more Manganese +583.3%
Contains more Selenium +39.3%
Contains less Sodium -95%
American cheese
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 314% 24% 19% 275% 12% 218% 68% 16% 6% 111%
Ricotta
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 63% 15% 8% 68% 10% 11% 32% 7% 1% 80%
Contains more Calcium +404.8%
Contains more Iron +65.8%
Contains more Magnesium +136.4%
Contains more Phosphorus +305.7%
Contains more Potassium +25.7%
Contains more Zinc +114.7%
Contains more Copper +119%
Contains more Manganese +583.3%
Contains more Selenium +39.3%
Contains less Sodium -95%

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.
American cheese
American cheese
9
:
2
Ricotta
Ricotta
Contains more Vitamin A +112.4%
Contains more Vitamin E +627.3%
Contains more Vitamin D +200%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +15.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +20%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +89.2%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +25.6%
Contains more Vitamin B12 +341.2%
Contains more Vitamin K +136.4%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +36.8%
Contains more Folate +50%
American cheese
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 57% 16% 18% 0% 4% 54% 2% 25% 13% 6% 188% 7%
Ricotta
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 27% 3% 6% 0% 4% 45% 2% 13% 10% 9% 43% 3%
Contains more Vitamin A +112.4%
Contains more Vitamin E +627.3%
Contains more Vitamin D +200%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +15.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +20%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +89.2%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +25.6%
Contains more Vitamin B12 +341.2%
Contains more Vitamin K +136.4%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +36.8%
Contains more Folate +50%

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
American cheese
American cheese
4
:
1
Ricotta
Ricotta
Contains more Protein +61%
Contains more Fats +144.9%
Contains more Carbs +21.7%
Contains more Other +563.7%
Contains more Water +81%
American cheese
18% 32% 4% 40% 7%
Protein: 18.13 g
Fats: 31.79 g
Carbs: 3.7 g
Water: 39.61 g
Other: 6.77 g
Ricotta
11% 13% 3% 72%
Protein: 11.26 g
Fats: 12.98 g
Carbs: 3.04 g
Water: 71.7 g
Other: 1.02 g
Contains more Protein +61%
Contains more Fats +144.9%
Contains more Carbs +21.7%
Contains more Other +563.7%
Contains more Water +81%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
American cheese
American cheese
2
:
1
Ricotta
Ricotta
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +127.1%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +234%
Contains less Saturated Fat -54.1%
American cheese
65% 30% 5%
Saturated Fat: 18.057 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 8.236 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.286 g
Ricotta
67% 29% 3%
Saturated Fat: 8.295 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 3.627 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.385 g
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +127.1%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +234%
Contains less Saturated Fat -54.1%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient American cheese Ricotta Opinion
Net carbs 3.7g 3.04g American cheese
Protein 18.13g 11.26g American cheese
Fats 31.79g 12.98g American cheese
Carbs 3.7g 3.04g American cheese
Calories 371kcal 174kcal American cheese
Sugar 2.26g 0.27g Ricotta
Calcium 1045mg 207mg American cheese
Iron 0.63mg 0.38mg American cheese
Magnesium 26mg 11mg American cheese
Phosphorus 641mg 158mg American cheese
Potassium 132mg 105mg American cheese
Sodium 1671mg 84mg Ricotta
Zinc 2.49mg 1.16mg American cheese
Copper 0.046mg 0.021mg American cheese
Manganese 0.041mg 0.006mg American cheese
Selenium 20.2µg 14.5µg American cheese
Vitamin A 945IU 445IU American cheese
Vitamin A RAE 250µg 120µg American cheese
Vitamin E 0.8mg 0.11mg American cheese
Vitamin D 23IU 10IU American cheese
Vitamin D 0.6µg 0.2µg American cheese
Vitamin B1 0.015mg 0.013mg American cheese
Vitamin B2 0.234mg 0.195mg American cheese
Vitamin B3 0.076mg 0.104mg Ricotta
Vitamin B5 0.403mg 0.213mg American cheese
Vitamin B6 0.054mg 0.043mg American cheese
Folate 8µg 12µg Ricotta
Vitamin B12 1.5µg 0.34µg American cheese
Vitamin K 2.6µg 1.1µg American cheese
Tryptophan 0.232mg 0.125mg American cheese
Threonine 0.772mg 0.517mg American cheese
Isoleucine 0.938mg 0.589mg American cheese
Leucine 1.716mg 1.221mg American cheese
Lysine 1.516mg 1.338mg American cheese
Methionine 0.475mg 0.281mg American cheese
Phenylalanine 0.939mg 0.556mg American cheese
Valine 1.187mg 0.692mg American cheese
Histidine 0.546mg 0.459mg American cheese
Cholesterol 100mg 51mg Ricotta
Trans Fat 1.144g Ricotta
Saturated Fat 18.057g 8.295g Ricotta
Omega-3 - DHA 0.006g 0g American cheese
Omega-3 - EPA 0.012g 0g American cheese
Omega-3 - DPA 0.021g 0g American cheese
Monounsaturated Fat 8.236g 3.627g American cheese
Polyunsaturated fat 1.286g 0.385g American cheese
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.009g American cheese
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.79g American cheese
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0.001g American cheese
Omega-3 - ALA 0.137g American cheese
Omega-3 - Eicosatrienoic acid 0.001g American cheese
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid 0.033g American cheese

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
American cheese Ricotta
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
32%
American cheese
14%
Ricotta
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
106%
American cheese
29%
Ricotta

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Ricotta
Ricotta is lower in Sugar (difference - 1.99g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Ricotta
Ricotta contains less Sodium (difference - 1587mg)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Ricotta
Ricotta is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 49mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Ricotta
Ricotta is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 9.762g)
Which food is cheaper?
Ricotta
Ricotta is cheaper (difference - $0.4)
Which food is richer in minerals?
American cheese
American cheese is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
American cheese
American cheese is relatively richer in vitamins
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
?
The foods have equal glycemic indexes (27)

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. American cheese - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171290/nutrients
  2. Ricotta - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170851/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.