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Milk vs. Whey — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the main differences between Milk and Whey?

  • Whey has less Vitamin B12, Calcium, Phosphorus, and Vitamin A than Milk.
  • Milk has 19 times more Vitamin A than Whey. Milk has 58µg of Vitamin A, while Whey has 3µg.

We used Milk, lowfat, fluid, 1% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D and Whey, sweet, fluid types in this comparison.

Infographic

Milk vs Whey 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.
Milk
Milk
8
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 7.9% 38% 13% 1.1% 3.3% 11% 41% 5.7% 0.39% 18%
Whey
Whey
1
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 5.7% 14% 14% 2.3% 1.3% 3.5% 20% 7% 0.13% 10%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +37.5%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +166%
Contains more CopperCopper +150%
Contains more ZincZinc +223.1%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +106.5%
Contains less SodiumSodium -18.5%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +200%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +73.7%
Contains more IronIron +100%
~equal in Potassium ~161mg

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.
Milk
Milk
9
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% 12% 0.2% 36% 5% 43% 1.7% 22% 8.5% 59% 0.25% 3.8% 9.7%
Whey
Whey
2
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 0.33% 0.72% 0% 0% 9% 36% 1.4% 23% 7.2% 35% 0% 0.75% 8.7%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +1533.3%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +∞%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +17.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +25.7%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +19.4%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +67.9%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +400%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +80%
~equal in Vitamin B5 ~0.383mg
~equal in Choline ~16mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Milk
Milk
3
3% 5% 90%
Protein: 3.37 g
Fats: 0.97 g
Carbs: 4.99 g
Water: 89.92 g
Other: 0.75 g
Whey
Whey
2
5% 93%
Protein: 0.85 g
Fats: 0.36 g
Carbs: 5.14 g
Water: 93.12 g
Other: 0.53 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +296.5%
Contains more FatsFats +169.4%
Contains more OtherOther +41.5%
~equal in Carbs ~5.14g
~equal in Water ~93.12g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Milk
Milk
2
67% 29% 4%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.633 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.277 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.035 g
Whey
Whey
1
67% 29% 3%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.23 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.1 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.011 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +177%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +218.2%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -63.7%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Milk Whey Opinion
Calories 42kcal 27kcal Milk
Protein 3.37g 0.85g Milk
Fats 0.97g 0.36g Milk
Vitamin C 0mg 0.1mg Whey
Net carbs 4.99g 5.14g Whey
Carbs 4.99g 5.14g Whey
Cholesterol 5mg 2mg Whey
Vitamin D 48IU Milk
Magnesium 11mg 8mg Milk
Calcium 125mg 47mg Milk
Potassium 150mg 161mg Whey
Iron 0.03mg 0.06mg Whey
Sugar 5.2g 5.14g Whey
Copper 0.01mg 0.004mg Milk
Zinc 0.42mg 0.13mg Milk
Phosphorus 95mg 46mg Milk
Sodium 44mg 54mg Milk
Vitamin A 196IU 12IU Milk
Vitamin A 58µg 3µg Milk
Vitamin E 0.01mg 0mg Milk
Vitamin D 1.2µg Milk
Manganese 0.003mg 0.001mg Milk
Selenium 3.3µg 1.9µg Milk
Vitamin B1 0.02mg 0.036mg Whey
Vitamin B2 0.185mg 0.158mg Milk
Vitamin B3 0.093mg 0.074mg Milk
Vitamin B5 0.361mg 0.383mg Whey
Vitamin B6 0.037mg 0.031mg Milk
Vitamin B12 0.47µg 0.28µg Milk
Vitamin K 0.1µg 0µg Milk
Folate 5µg 1µg Milk
Choline 17.7mg 16mg Milk
Saturated Fat 0.633g 0.23g Whey
Monounsaturated Fat 0.277g 0.1g Milk
Polyunsaturated fat 0.035g 0.011g Milk
Tryptophan 0.043mg 0.013mg Milk
Threonine 0.143mg 0.054mg Milk
Isoleucine 0.174mg 0.047mg Milk
Leucine 0.319mg 0.078mg Milk
Lysine 0.282mg 0.068mg Milk
Methionine 0.088mg 0.016mg Milk
Phenylalanine 0.174mg 0.027mg Milk
Valine 0.22mg 0.046mg Milk
Histidine 0.101mg 0.016mg Milk
Omega-3 - ALA 0.004g Milk
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.027g Milk

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Milk Whey
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
15%
Milk
9%
Whey
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
14%
Milk
8%
Whey

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Whey
Whey is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 3mg)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Whey
Whey is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.06g)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Whey
Whey is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.403g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Milk
Milk contains less Sodium (difference - 10mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Milk
Milk is lower in glycemic index (difference - 12)
Which food is cheaper?
Milk
Milk is cheaper (difference - $3)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Milk
Milk is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Milk
Milk 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. Milk - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170872/nutrients
  2. Whey - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171282/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.