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Couscous vs Barley - In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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A recap on differences between Couscous and Barley

  • Couscous is higher in Selenium, yet Barley is higher in Iron, Fiber, Manganese, Copper, Vitamin B3, and Zinc.
  • Couscous covers your daily Selenium needs 34% more than Barley.

Food varieties used in this article are Couscous, cooked and Barley, pearled, cooked.

Infographic

Couscous vs Barley 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" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food
Couscous
Couscous
0
:
8
Barley
Barley
Contains more Calcium +37.5%
Contains more Iron +250%
Contains more Magnesium +175%
Contains more Phosphorus +145.5%
Contains more Potassium +60.3%
Contains less Sodium -40%
Contains more Zinc +215.4%
Contains more Copper +156.1%
Couscous
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper 3% 15% 6% 10% 6% 1% 8% 14%
Barley
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper 4% 50% 16% 24% 9% 1% 23% 35%
Contains more Calcium +37.5%
Contains more Iron +250%
Contains more Magnesium +175%
Contains more Phosphorus +145.5%
Contains more Potassium +60.3%
Contains less Sodium -40%
Contains more Zinc +215.4%
Contains more Copper +156.1%

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" chart below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food
Couscous
Couscous
2
:
7
Barley
Barley
Contains more Vitamin E +1200%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +174.8%
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +31.7%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +129.6%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +109.9%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +125.5%
Contains more Vitamin K +700%
Equal in Folate - 16
Couscous
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 0% 3% 0% 0% 16% 7% 19% 23% 12% 12% 0% 1%
Barley
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 1% 1% 0% 0% 21% 15% 39% 9% 27% 12% 0% 2%
Contains more Vitamin E +1200%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +174.8%
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +31.7%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +129.6%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +109.9%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +125.5%
Contains more Vitamin K +700%
Equal in Folate - 16

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Couscous
Couscous
2
:
3
Barley
Barley
Contains more Protein +67.7%
Contains more Fats +175%
Contains more Carbs +21.5%
Equal in Water - 68.8
Equal in Other - 0.28
Couscous
4% 23% 73%
Protein: 3.79 g
Fats: 0.16 g
Carbs: 23.22 g
Water: 72.57 g
Other: 0.26 g
Barley
2% 28% 69%
Protein: 2.26 g
Fats: 0.44 g
Carbs: 28.22 g
Water: 68.8 g
Other: 0.28 g
Contains more Protein +67.7%
Contains more Fats +175%
Contains more Carbs +21.5%
Equal in Water - 68.8
Equal in Other - 0.28

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Couscous
Couscous
1
:
2
Barley
Barley
Contains less Saturated Fat -68.8%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +159.1%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +234.4%
Couscous
25% 19% 56%
Saturated Fat: 0.029 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.022 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.064 g
Barley
26% 16% 59%
Saturated Fat: 0.093 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.057 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.214 g
Contains less Saturated Fat -68.8%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +159.1%
Contains more Polyunsaturated fat +234.4%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the most right column. It shows the amounts side by side, making it easier to realize the amount of difference.
Couscous Barley
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in price ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in glycemic index ok
Rich in minerals ok
Rich in vitamins ok
Lower in Cholesterol Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Couscous Barley Opinion
Net carbs 21.82g 24.42g Barley
Protein 3.79g 2.26g Couscous
Fats 0.16g 0.44g Barley
Carbs 23.22g 28.22g Barley
Calories 112kcal 123kcal Barley
Sugar 0.1g 0.28g Couscous
Fiber 1.4g 3.8g Barley
Calcium 8mg 11mg Barley
Iron 0.38mg 1.33mg Barley
Magnesium 8mg 22mg Barley
Phosphorus 22mg 54mg Barley
Potassium 58mg 93mg Barley
Sodium 5mg 3mg Barley
Zinc 0.26mg 0.82mg Barley
Copper 0.041mg 0.105mg Barley
Vitamin A 0IU 7IU Barley
Vitamin E 0.13mg 0.01mg Couscous
Vitamin B1 0.063mg 0.083mg Barley
Vitamin B2 0.027mg 0.062mg Barley
Vitamin B3 0.983mg 2.063mg Barley
Vitamin B5 0.371mg 0.135mg Couscous
Vitamin B6 0.051mg 0.115mg Barley
Folate 15µg 16µg Barley
Vitamin K 0.1µg 0.8µg Barley
Tryptophan 0.049mg 0.038mg Couscous
Threonine 0.1mg 0.077mg Couscous
Isoleucine 0.147mg 0.083mg Couscous
Leucine 0.259mg 0.154mg Couscous
Lysine 0.073mg 0.084mg Barley
Methionine 0.059mg 0.043mg Couscous
Phenylalanine 0.184mg 0.127mg Couscous
Valine 0.162mg 0.111mg Couscous
Histidine 0.077mg 0.051mg Couscous
Saturated Fat 0.029g 0.093g Couscous
Monounsaturated Fat 0.022g 0.057g Barley
Polyunsaturated fat 0.064g 0.214g Barley

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Couscous Barley
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 show how much of your all daily needs across all vitamins or minerals this food would cover if you took three 100 grams servings of it (approximation of 3 serving sizes)
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
7%
Couscous
10%
Barley
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
7%
Couscous
20%
Barley

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Couscous
Couscous is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.18g)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Couscous
Couscous is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.064g)
Which food is cheaper?
Couscous
Couscous is cheaper (difference - $0.2)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Barley
Barley contains less Sodium (difference - 2mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Barley
Barley is lower in glycemic index (difference - 37)
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
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)

References

The source of all the nutrient values on the page (excluding the main article the sources for which are presented separately if present) is the USDA's FoodCentral. The exact links to the foods presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Couscous - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169700/nutrients
  2. Barley - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170285/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.