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Barley vs. Pasta — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are barley and pasta different?

  • Barley is higher than pasta in manganese, copper, vitamin B1, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, zinc, and potassium.
  • Barley covers your daily need for manganese, 75% more than pasta.
  • Barley contains 19 times more potassium than pasta. Barley contains 452mg of potassium, while pasta contains 24mg.
  • Pasta has a higher glycemic index (49) than barley (28).

Barley, hulled and Pasta, fresh-refrigerated, plain, cooked types were used in this article.

Infographic

Barley vs Pasta 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
9
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 95% 9.9% 40% 135% 166% 76% 113% 1.6% 253% 206%
Pasta
1
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 13% 1.8% 2.1% 43% 31% 15% 27% 0.78% 29% 0%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +638.9%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +450%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +1783.3%
Contains more IronIron +215.8%
Contains more CopperCopper +435.5%
Contains more ZincZinc +394.6%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +319%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +767.4%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +∞%
Contains less SodiumSodium -50%

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
7
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 0.33% 11% 0% 162% 66% 86% 17% 73% 0% 5.5% 14% 0%
Pasta
3
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 2% 0% 0% 52% 35% 19% 11% 7.8% 18% 0% 48% 0%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +209.1%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +90%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +364.1%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +54.1%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +835.3%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +500%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +236.8%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Choline ~mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Barley
4
12% 2% 73% 9% 2%
Protein: 12.48 g
Fats: 2.3 g
Carbs: 73.48 g
Water: 9.44 g
Other: 2.3 g
Pasta
1
5% 25% 69%
Protein: 5.15 g
Fats: 1.05 g
Carbs: 24.93 g
Water: 68.56 g
Other: 0.31 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +142.3%
Contains more FatsFats +119%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +194.7%
Contains more OtherOther +641.9%
Contains more WaterWater +626.3%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Barley
2
26% 16% 59%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.482 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.295 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.108 g
Pasta
1
21% 18% 61%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.15 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.124 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.429 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +137.9%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +158.3%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -68.9%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Barley Pasta DV% diff.
Manganese 1.943mg 0.224mg 75%
Selenium 37.7µg 69%
Fiber 17.3g 69%
Copper 0.498mg 0.093mg 45%
Vitamin B1 0.646mg 0.209mg 36%
Iron 3.6mg 1.14mg 31%
Phosphorus 264mg 63mg 29%
Magnesium 133mg 18mg 27%
Vitamin B3 4.604mg 0.992mg 23%
Vitamin B6 0.318mg 0.034mg 22%
Zinc 2.77mg 0.56mg 20%
Carbs 73.48g 24.93g 16%
Protein 12.48g 5.15g 15%
Potassium 452mg 24mg 13%
Folate 19µg 64µg 11%
Calories 354kcal 131kcal 11%
Cholesterol 0mg 33mg 11%
Vitamin B2 0.285mg 0.15mg 10%
Vitamin B12 0µg 0.14µg 6%
Polyunsaturated fat 1.108g 0.429g 5%
Vitamin E 0.57mg 4%
Calcium 33mg 6mg 3%
Saturated fat 0.482g 0.15g 2%
Vitamin K 2.2µg 2%
Vitamin B5 0.282mg 0.183mg 2%
Fats 2.3g 1.05g 2%
Vitamin A 1µg 6µg 1%
Net carbs 56.18g 24.93g N/A
Sugar 0.8g N/A
Sodium 12mg 6mg 0%
Monounsaturated fat 0.295g 0.124g 0%
Tryptophan 0.208mg 0.065mg 0%
Threonine 0.424mg 0.134mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.456mg 0.197mg 0%
Leucine 0.848mg 0.348mg 0%
Lysine 0.465mg 0.097mg 0%
Methionine 0.24mg 0.079mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.7mg 0.247mg 0%
Valine 0.612mg 0.217mg 0%
Histidine 0.281mg 0.103mg 0%

Which food is preferable for your diet?

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

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
33%
Barley
15%
Pasta
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
110%
Barley
16%
Pasta

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Pasta
Pasta is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.8g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Pasta
Pasta contains less Sodium (difference - 6mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Pasta
Pasta is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 0.332g)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Barley
Barley is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 33mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Barley
Barley is lower in glycemic index (difference - 21)
Which food is cheaper?
Barley
Barley is cheaper (difference - $1.5)
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

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/170283/nutrients
  2. Pasta - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169728/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.