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Cereal vs. Spaghetti — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are Cereal and Spaghetti different?

  • Cereal is higher in Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Iron, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin A, Zinc, and Vitamin C, however, Spaghetti is richer in Selenium.
  • Daily need coverage for Vitamin B1 from Cereal is 522% higher.
  • Spaghetti has less Sodium.

Cereals ready-to-eat, USDA Commodity Corn and Rice (includes all commodity brands) and Pasta, cooked, unenriched, without added salt are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

Cereal vs Spaghetti 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.
Cereal
7
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 14% 3% 9.3% 1277% 46% 207% 33% 104% 103% 34%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 13% 2.1% 3.9% 19% 33% 14% 25% 0.13% 42% 144%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +42.9%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +138.6%
Contains more IronIron +6712%
Contains more CopperCopper +37%
Contains more ZincZinc +1390.2%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +32.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +145.3%
Contains less SodiumSodium -99.9%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +319%
~equal in Magnesium ~18mg

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.
Cereal
8
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 128% 168% 1.6% 0% 1572% 893% 555% 14% 1381% 0% 0% 0% 0%
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% 1.2% 0% 5% 4.6% 7.5% 6.7% 11% 0% 0% 5.3% 3.5%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +33.3%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +31340%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +19250%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +7305%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +101.8%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +12116.3%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin K ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cereal
4
6% 87% 4% 2%
Protein: 6.06 g
Fats: 1.08 g
Carbs: 86.85 g
Water: 3.78 g
Other: 2.23 g
6% 31% 62%
Protein: 5.8 g
Fats: 0.93 g
Carbs: 30.86 g
Water: 62.13 g
Other: 0.28 g
Contains more FatsFats +16.1%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +181.4%
Contains more OtherOther +696.4%
Contains more WaterWater +1543.7%
~equal in Protein ~5.8g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cereal
2
32% 25% 43%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.26 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.204 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.354 g
28% 21% 52%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.176 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.131 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.326 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +55.7%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -32.3%
~equal in Polyunsaturated fat ~0.326g

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cereal
3
94% 3% 3%
Starch: 0 g
Sucrose: 9.74 g
Glucose: 0.27 g
Fructose: 0.26 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0.09 g
Galactose: 0 g
98%
Starch: 26.01 g
Sucrose: 0.09 g
Glucose: 0.04 g
Fructose: 0.03 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0.4 g
Galactose: 0 g
Contains more SucroseSucrose +10722.2%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +575%
Contains more FructoseFructose +766.7%
Contains more StarchStarch +∞%
Contains more MaltoseMaltose +344.4%
~equal in Lactose ~0g
~equal in Galactose ~0g

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Cereal Spaghetti Opinion
Calories 378kcal 158kcal Cereal
Protein 6.06g 5.8g Cereal
Fats 1.08g 0.93g Cereal
Vitamin C 38.5mg 0mg Cereal
Net carbs 85.45g 29.06g Cereal
Carbs 86.85g 30.86g Cereal
Magnesium 19mg 18mg Cereal
Calcium 10mg 7mg Cereal
Potassium 105mg 44mg Cereal
Iron 34.06mg 0.5mg Cereal
Sugar 10.35g 0.56g Spaghetti
Fiber 1.4g 1.8g Spaghetti
Copper 0.137mg 0.1mg Cereal
Zinc 7.6mg 0.51mg Cereal
Starch 26.01g Spaghetti
Phosphorus 77mg 58mg Cereal
Sodium 795mg 1mg Spaghetti
Vitamin A 2792IU 0IU Cereal
Vitamin A 814µg 0µg Cereal
Vitamin E 0.08mg 0.06mg Cereal
Manganese 0.79mg 0.322mg Cereal
Selenium 6.3µg 26.4µg Spaghetti
Vitamin B1 6.288mg 0.02mg Cereal
Vitamin B2 3.87mg 0.02mg Cereal
Vitamin B3 29.62mg 0.4mg Cereal
Vitamin B5 0.226mg 0.112mg Cereal
Vitamin B6 5.986mg 0.049mg Cereal
Folate 7µg Spaghetti
Choline 6.4mg Spaghetti
Saturated Fat 0.26g 0.176g Spaghetti
Monounsaturated Fat 0.204g 0.131g Cereal
Polyunsaturated fat 0.354g 0.326g Cereal
Tryptophan 0.066mg 0.083mg Spaghetti
Threonine 0.241mg 0.206mg Cereal
Isoleucine 0.26mg 0.228mg Cereal
Leucine 0.767mg 0.44mg Cereal
Lysine 0.113mg 0.133mg Spaghetti
Methionine 0.13mg 0.065mg Cereal
Phenylalanine 0.365mg 0.297mg Cereal
Valine 0.344mg 0.262mg Cereal
Histidine 0.162mg 0.132mg Cereal
Fructose 0.26g 0.03g Cereal
Omega-3 - ALA 0.024g Spaghetti

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Cereal Spaghetti
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs 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
363%
Cereal
3%
Spaghetti
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
183%
Cereal
30%
Spaghetti

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is lower in Sugar (difference - 9.79g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Spaghetti
Spaghetti contains less Sodium (difference - 794mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.084g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is lower in glycemic index (difference - 20)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Cereal
Cereal is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 0mg)
Which food is cheaper?
Cereal
Cereal is cheaper (difference - $1.6)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Cereal
Cereal is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Cereal
Cereal 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. Spaghetti - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168928/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.