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  6. Buttermilk vs. Kefir

Buttermilk vs. Kefir — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the differences between Buttermilk and Kefir?

  • The amount of Vitamin A RAE, and Vitamin D in Kefir is higher than in Buttermilk.
  • Kefir's daily need coverage for Vitamin A RAE is 17% more.
  • Kefir contains 5 times less Sodium than Buttermilk. Buttermilk contains 190mg of Sodium, while Kefir contains 40mg.

We used Milk, buttermilk, fluid, cultured, lowfat and Kefir, lowfat, plain, LIFEWAY types in this article.

Infographic

Buttermilk vs Kefir 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.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk
2
:
8
Kefir
Kefir
Contains more Iron +25%
Contains more Copper +22.2%
Contains more Calcium +12.1%
Contains more Phosphorus +18%
Contains less Sodium -78.9%
Contains more Manganese +150%
Contains more Selenium +80%
Equal in Magnesium - 12
Equal in Potassium - 164
Equal in Zinc - 0.46
Buttermilk
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 35% 2% 8% 39% 14% 25% 12% 4% 1% 11%
Kefir
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 39% 2% 9% 45% 15% 6% 13% 3% 1% 20%
Contains more Iron +25%
Contains more Copper +22.2%
Contains more Calcium +12.1%
Contains more Phosphorus +18%
Contains less Sodium -78.9%
Contains more Manganese +150%
Contains more Selenium +80%
Equal in Magnesium - 12
Equal in Potassium - 164
Equal in Zinc - 0.46

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.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk
4
:
7
Kefir
Kefir
Contains more Vitamin E +150%
Contains more Vitamin C +400%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +13.3%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +14.1%
Contains more Vitamin A +1110.6%
Contains more Vitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +158.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +40%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +70.6%
Contains more Folate +160%
Contains more Vitamin B12 +31.8%
Equal in Vitamin K - 0.1
Buttermilk
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 3% 1% 0% 4% 9% 36% 2% 17% 8% 4% 28% 1%
Kefir
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 35% 1% 30% 1% 8% 32% 3% 24% 14% 10% 37% 1%
Contains more Vitamin E +150%
Contains more Vitamin C +400%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +13.3%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +14.1%
Contains more Vitamin A +1110.6%
Contains more Vitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +158.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +40%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +70.6%
Contains more Folate +160%
Contains more Vitamin B12 +31.8%
Equal in Vitamin K - 0.1

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Buttermilk
Buttermilk
3
:
2
Kefir
Kefir
Contains more Other +21.9%
Contains more Protein +14.5%
Equal in Fats - 0.93
Equal in Carbs - 4.48
Equal in Water - 90.07
Buttermilk
3% 5% 90%
Protein: 3.31 g
Fats: 0.88 g
Carbs: 4.79 g
Water: 90.13 g
Other: 0.89 g
Kefir
4% 4% 90%
Protein: 3.79 g
Fats: 0.93 g
Carbs: 4.48 g
Water: 90.07 g
Other: 0.73 g
Contains more Other +21.9%
Contains more Protein +14.5%
Equal in Fats - 0.93
Equal in Carbs - 4.48
Equal in Water - 90.07

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Buttermilk
Buttermilk
1
:
2
Kefir
Kefir
Contains less Saturated Fat -16.7%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +22%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +60.6%
Buttermilk
66% 30% 4%
Saturated Fat: 0.548 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.254 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.033 g
Kefir
64% 30% 5%
Saturated Fat: 0.658 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.31 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.053 g
Contains less Saturated Fat -16.7%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +22%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +60.6%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Buttermilk Kefir Opinion
Net carbs 4.79g 4.48g Buttermilk
Protein 3.31g 3.79g Kefir
Fats 0.88g 0.93g Kefir
Carbs 4.79g 4.48g Buttermilk
Calories 40kcal 41kcal Kefir
Sugar 4.79g 4.61g Kefir
Calcium 116mg 130mg Kefir
Iron 0.05mg 0.04mg Buttermilk
Magnesium 11mg 12mg Kefir
Phosphorus 89mg 105mg Kefir
Potassium 151mg 164mg Kefir
Sodium 190mg 40mg Kefir
Zinc 0.42mg 0.46mg Kefir
Copper 0.011mg 0.009mg Buttermilk
Manganese 0.002mg 0.005mg Kefir
Selenium 2µg 3.6µg Kefir
Vitamin A 47IU 569IU Kefir
Vitamin A RAE 14µg 171µg Kefir
Vitamin E 0.05mg 0.02mg Buttermilk
Vitamin D 1IU 41IU Kefir
Vitamin D 0µg 1µg Kefir
Vitamin C 1mg 0.2mg Buttermilk
Vitamin B1 0.034mg 0.03mg Buttermilk
Vitamin B2 0.154mg 0.135mg Buttermilk
Vitamin B3 0.058mg 0.15mg Kefir
Vitamin B5 0.275mg 0.385mg Kefir
Vitamin B6 0.034mg 0.058mg Kefir
Folate 5µg 13µg Kefir
Vitamin B12 0.22µg 0.29µg Kefir
Vitamin K 0.1µg 0.1µg
Tryptophan 0.042mg Buttermilk
Threonine 0.141mg Buttermilk
Isoleucine 0.171mg Buttermilk
Leucine 0.313mg Buttermilk
Lysine 0.277mg Buttermilk
Methionine 0.087mg Buttermilk
Phenylalanine 0.171mg Buttermilk
Valine 0.217mg Buttermilk
Histidine 0.1mg Buttermilk
Cholesterol 4mg 5mg Buttermilk
Trans Fat 0.037g Buttermilk
Saturated Fat 0.548g 0.658g Buttermilk
Omega-3 - DPA 0g 0.001g Kefir
Monounsaturated Fat 0.254g 0.31g Kefir
Polyunsaturated fat 0.033g 0.053g Kefir
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.029g Kefir
Omega-3 - ALA 0.006g Kefir
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid 0.002g Kefir

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Buttermilk Kefir
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
9%
Buttermilk
16%
Kefir
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
15%
Buttermilk
15%
Kefir

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Kefir
Kefir is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.18g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Kefir
Kefir contains less Sodium (difference - 150mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Kefir
Kefir is lower in glycemic index (difference - 36)
Which food is cheaper?
Kefir
Kefir is cheaper (difference - $2)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Kefir
Kefir is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 1mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.11g)
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. Buttermilk - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170874/nutrients
  2. Kefir - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170904/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.