Foodstruct Nutrition Search | Diet Analysis | Food Comparison | Glycemic Index Chart | Insulin Index Chart | Blog | Subscribe | Sign Up

Cereal vs. Wheat — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

Compare

The main differences between cereal and wheat

  • Cereal is richer in vitamin B1, vitamin B6, iron, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, and vitamin A, yet wheat is richer in selenium, manganese, phosphorus, and copper.
  • Daily need coverage for vitamin B1 for cereal is 489% higher.
  • Wheat has a lower glycemic index than cereal.

Food types used in this article are Cereals ready-to-eat, USDA Commodity Corn and Rice (includes all commodity brands) and Wheat, durum.

Infographic

Cereal vs Wheat  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.
Cereal
2
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 103% 10% 38% 132% 184% 113% 218% 0.26% 393% 488%
Contains more IronIron +867.6%
Contains more ZincZinc +82.7%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +657.9%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +240%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +310.5%
Contains more CopperCopper +303.6%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +559.7%
Contains less SodiumSodium -99.7%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +281.3%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +1319%

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
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 128% 271% 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% 0% 0% 105% 28% 126% 56% 97% 0% 0% 32% 0%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +1400.7%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +3098.3%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +339.6%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +1328.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +313.7%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin K ~µg
~equal in Choline ~mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cereal
2
6% 87% 4% 2%
Protein: 6.06 g
Fats: 1.08 g
Carbs: 86.85 g
Water: 3.78 g
Other: 2.23 g
14% 2% 71% 11% 2%
Protein: 13.68 g
Fats: 2.47 g
Carbs: 71.13 g
Water: 10.94 g
Other: 1.78 g
Contains more CarbsCarbs +22.1%
Contains more OtherOther +25.3%
Contains more ProteinProtein +125.7%
Contains more FatsFats +128.7%
Contains more WaterWater +189.4%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cereal
1
32% 25% 43%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.26 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.204 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.354 g
26% 19% 55%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.454 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.344 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.978 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -42.7%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +68.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +176.3%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Cereal Wheat DV% diff.
Vitamin B1 6.288mg 0.419mg 489%
Vitamin B6 5.986mg 0.419mg 428%
Iron 34.06mg 3.52mg 382%
Vitamin B2 3.87mg 0.121mg 288%
Selenium 6.3µg 89.4µg 151%
Vitamin B3 29.62mg 6.738mg 143%
Manganese 0.79mg 3.012mg 97%
Vitamin A 814µg 0µg 90%
Phosphorus 77mg 508mg 62%
Copper 0.137mg 0.553mg 46%
Vitamin C 38.5mg 0mg 43%
Sodium 795mg 2mg 34%
Zinc 7.6mg 4.16mg 31%
Magnesium 19mg 144mg 30%
Protein 6.06g 13.68g 15%
Vitamin B5 0.226mg 0.935mg 14%
Folate 43µg 11%
Potassium 105mg 431mg 10%
Fiber 1.4g 6%
Carbs 86.85g 71.13g 5%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.354g 0.978g 4%
Calories 378kcal 339kcal 2%
Fats 1.08g 2.47g 2%
Calcium 10mg 34mg 2%
Vitamin E 0.08mg 1%
Saturated fat 0.26g 0.454g 1%
Net carbs 85.45g 71.13g N/A
Sugar 10.35g N/A
Monounsaturated fat 0.204g 0.344g 0%
Tryptophan 0.066mg 0.176mg 0%
Threonine 0.241mg 0.366mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.26mg 0.533mg 0%
Leucine 0.767mg 0.934mg 0%
Lysine 0.113mg 0.303mg 0%
Methionine 0.13mg 0.221mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.365mg 0.681mg 0%
Valine 0.344mg 0.594mg 0%
Histidine 0.162mg 0.322mg 0%
Fructose 0.26g 0%

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Cereal Wheat
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
371%
Cereal
34%
Wheat
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
183%
Cereal
168%
Wheat

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Wheat
Wheat is lower in Sugar (difference - 10.35g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Wheat
Wheat contains less Sodium (difference - 793mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Wheat
Wheat is lower in glycemic index (difference - 19)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Wheat
Wheat is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Cereal
Cereal is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 0mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Cereal
Cereal is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 0.194g)
Which food is cheaper?
Cereal
Cereal is cheaper (difference - $0.4)
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. Wheat - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169721/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.