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Couscous vs. Penne — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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A recap on differences between couscous and penne

  • Penne is higher than couscous in phosphorus, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, and fiber.
  • Penne covers your daily phosphorus needs 14% more than couscous.
  • The amount of sugar in couscous is lower.
  • The glycemic index of penne is lower.

Food varieties used in this article are Couscous, cooked and KASHI Three Cheese Penne, frozen, unprepared.

Infographic

Couscous vs Penne 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.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 5.7% 2.4% 5.1% 14% 14% 7.1% 9.4% 0.65% 11% 150%
Penne
6
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 21% 27% 11% 30% 0% 30% 51% 32% 0% 0%
Contains more CopperCopper +∞%
Contains less SodiumSodium -98%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +∞%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +∞%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +275%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +1012.5%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +110.3%
Contains more IronIron +110.5%
Contains more ZincZinc +323.1%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +436.4%

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.
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% 2.6% 0% 16% 6.2% 18% 22% 12% 0% 0.25% 11% 1.8%
Penne
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% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +∞%
Contains more CholineCholine +∞%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin A ~µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
4% 23% 73%
Protein: 3.79 g
Fats: 0.16 g
Carbs: 23.22 g
Water: 72.57 g
Other: 0.26 g
Penne
3
6% 4% 17% 72%
Protein: 5.7 g
Fats: 4 g
Carbs: 16.8 g
Water: 72.4 g
Other: 1.1 g
Contains more CarbsCarbs +38.2%
Contains more ProteinProtein +50.4%
Contains more FatsFats +2400%
Contains more OtherOther +323.1%
~equal in Water ~72.4g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
25% 19% 56%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.029 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.022 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.064 g
Penne
2
62% 27% 11%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 2.3 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.4 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -98.7%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +4445.5%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +525%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Couscous Penne DV% diff.
Selenium 27.5µg 50%
Phosphorus 22mg 118mg 14%
Sodium 5mg 248mg 11%
Saturated fat 0.029g 2.3g 10%
Calcium 8mg 89mg 8%
Zinc 0.26mg 1.1mg 8%
Vitamin B5 0.371mg 7%
Fats 0.16g 4g 6%
Vitamin B3 0.983mg 6%
Fiber 1.4g 2.7g 5%
Copper 0.041mg 5%
Vitamin B1 0.063mg 5%
Magnesium 8mg 30mg 5%
Iron 0.38mg 0.8mg 5%
Protein 3.79g 5.7g 4%
Folate 15µg 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 12mg 4%
Vitamin B6 0.051mg 4%
Manganese 0.084mg 4%
Vitamin B2 0.027mg 2%
Monounsaturated fat 0.022g 1g 2%
Potassium 58mg 122mg 2%
Carbs 23.22g 16.8g 2%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.064g 0.4g 2%
Choline 3.3mg 1%
Calories 112kcal 126kcal 1%
Vitamin E 0.13mg 1%
Net carbs 21.82g 14.1g N/A
Sugar 0.1g 1.9g N/A
Vitamin K 0.1µg 0%
Trans fat 0.2g N/A
Tryptophan 0.049mg 0%
Threonine 0.1mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.147mg 0%
Leucine 0.259mg 0%
Lysine 0.073mg 0%
Methionine 0.059mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.184mg 0%
Valine 0.162mg 0%
Histidine 0.077mg 0%

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Couscous Penne
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
7%
Couscous
0%
Penne
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
22%
Couscous
20%
Penne

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Penne
Penne is lower in glycemic index (difference - 22)
Which food is cheaper?
Penne
Penne is cheaper (difference - $1.3)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Penne
Penne is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Couscous
Couscous is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 12mg)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Couscous
Couscous is lower in Sugar (difference - 1.8g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Couscous
Couscous contains less Sodium (difference - 243mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Couscous
Couscous is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 2.271g)
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Couscous
Couscous 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. Couscous - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169700/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.