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Butter vs. American cheese — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are Butter and American cheese different?

  • Butter is richer in Vitamin A, while American cheese is higher in Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamin B12, Selenium, Zinc, and Vitamin B2.
  • Butter covers your daily need of Saturated Fat 162% more than American cheese.
  • Butter contains 3 times more Vitamin A than American cheese. Butter contains 684µg of Vitamin A, while American cheese contains 250µg.
  • American cheese is lower in Saturated Fat.

Butter, without salt and Cheese, pasteurized process, American, without added vitamin D types were used in this article.

Infographic

Butter vs American cheese 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.
Butter
1
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 1.4% 7.2% 2.1% 0.75% 5.3% 2.5% 10% 1.4% 0.52% 5.5%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 19% 314% 12% 24% 15% 68% 275% 218% 5.3% 110%
Contains less SodiumSodium -99.3%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +1200%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +4254.2%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +450%
Contains more IronIron +3050%
Contains more CopperCopper +187.5%
Contains more ZincZinc +2666.7%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +2570.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +925%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +1920%

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.
Butter
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% 150% 46% 0% 1.3% 7.8% 0.79% 6.6% 0.69% 21% 18% 2.3% 10%
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% 57% 16% 18% 3.8% 54% 1.4% 24% 12% 188% 6.5% 6% 20%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +164.4%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +190%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +169.2%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +200%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +588.2%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +81%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +266.4%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +1700%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +782.4%
Contains more FolateFolate +166.7%
Contains more CholineCholine +92.6%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Butter
1
81% 18%
Protein: 0.85 g
Fats: 81.11 g
Carbs: 0.06 g
Water: 17.94 g
Other: 0.04 g
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
Contains more FatsFats +155.1%
Contains more ProteinProtein +2032.9%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +6066.7%
Contains more WaterWater +120.8%
Contains more OtherOther +16825%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Butter
2
66% 30% 4%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 50.489 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 23.43 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 3.01 g
65% 30% 5%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 18.057 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 8.236 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.286 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +184.5%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +134.1%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -64.2%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Butter American cheese Opinion
Calories 717kcal 371kcal Butter
Protein 0.85g 18.13g American cheese
Fats 81.11g 31.79g Butter
Net carbs 0.06g 3.7g American cheese
Carbs 0.06g 3.7g American cheese
Cholesterol 215mg 100mg American cheese
Vitamin D 0IU 23IU American cheese
Magnesium 2mg 26mg American cheese
Calcium 24mg 1045mg American cheese
Potassium 24mg 132mg American cheese
Iron 0.02mg 0.63mg American cheese
Sugar 0.06g 2.26g Butter
Copper 0.016mg 0.046mg American cheese
Zinc 0.09mg 2.49mg American cheese
Phosphorus 24mg 641mg American cheese
Sodium 11mg 1671mg Butter
Vitamin A 2499IU 945IU Butter
Vitamin A 684µg 250µg Butter
Vitamin E 2.32mg 0.8mg Butter
Vitamin D 0µg 0.6µg American cheese
Manganese 0.004mg 0.041mg American cheese
Selenium 1µg 20.2µg American cheese
Vitamin B1 0.005mg 0.015mg American cheese
Vitamin B2 0.034mg 0.234mg American cheese
Vitamin B3 0.042mg 0.076mg American cheese
Vitamin B5 0.11mg 0.403mg American cheese
Vitamin B6 0.003mg 0.054mg American cheese
Vitamin B12 0.17µg 1.5µg American cheese
Vitamin K 7µg 2.6µg Butter
Folate 3µg 8µg American cheese
Trans Fat 1.144g Butter
Choline 18.8mg 36.2mg American cheese
Saturated Fat 50.489g 18.057g American cheese
Monounsaturated Fat 23.43g 8.236g Butter
Polyunsaturated fat 3.01g 1.286g Butter
Tryptophan 0.012mg 0.232mg American cheese
Threonine 0.038mg 0.772mg American cheese
Isoleucine 0.051mg 0.938mg American cheese
Leucine 0.083mg 1.716mg American cheese
Lysine 0.067mg 1.516mg American cheese
Methionine 0.021mg 0.475mg American cheese
Phenylalanine 0.041mg 0.939mg American cheese
Valine 0.057mg 1.187mg American cheese
Histidine 0.023mg 0.546mg American cheese
Omega-3 - EPA 0g 0.012g American cheese
Omega-3 - DHA 0g 0.006g American cheese
Omega-3 - ALA 0.315g 0.137g Butter
Omega-3 - DPA 0g 0.021g American cheese
Omega-3 - Eicosatrienoic acid 0.001g American cheese
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0.001g American cheese
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid 0.033g American cheese
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.009g American cheese
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 2.166g 0.79g Butter

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Butter American cheese
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

People also compare

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
20%
Butter
31%
American cheese
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
4%
Butter
106%
American cheese

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Butter
Butter is lower in Sugar (difference - 2.2g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Butter
Butter contains less Sodium (difference - 1660mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Butter
Butter is lower in glycemic index (difference - 27)
Which food is cheaper?
Butter
Butter is cheaper (difference - $0.8)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
American cheese
American cheese is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 115mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
American cheese
American cheese is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 32.432g)
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

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. Butter - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173430/nutrients
  2. American cheese - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171290/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.