Roti (Chapati) vs Naan — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison
Summary
Roti is made with whole wheat flour and does not include any raising agents, while naan is often made from white flour and also raising agents. Roti is 2 times richer in fiber, as well as around 2 to 3 times richer in vitamins b1, b6, and folate. Moreover, roti is also richer in most minerals and contains around 2 times less sodium than naan. On the other hand, naan is richer in phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin E.
Table of contents
Introduction
Chapati (roti) and naan are similar flatbreads that are used interchangeably. They are both Indian types of bread but are quite different from each other regarding their texture, taste, and preparation.
The main difference is that roti is made from whole wheat and unleavened bread. No raising agents, such as yeast, are used to prepare roti. Hence, roti is a whole wheat, thin, flat bread.
In comparison, naan is made from white flour, and raising agents are used to prepare them. Naan is typically softer and thicker.
Nutritional Content Comparison
The nutritional differences here are depicted for whole wheat, commercially prepared, frozen roti (chapati) and whole wheat, commercially prepared, refrigerated naan.
The serving sizes for both are usually one piece. Depending on the size, the weights will differ. On average, one chapati is about 43 grams, while one naan is about 106 grams. These breads are often served with ghee and herbs, so their nutritional content might differ.
However, to keep the comparison between the two types of bread simple, we will sometimes refer to 100-gram servings of each in this section.
Macronutrients and Calories
As can be seen from the macronutrient comparison charts below, roti and naan have similar macronutrient compositions. The predominant macronutrients in both are carbs, which make up 46% of their entire macronutrient compositions.
Macronutrient Comparison
Calories
Roti (chapati) and naan contain similar amounts of calories.
Per 100-gram serving, there are 299 calories in roti and 286 calories in naan.
Carbohydrates
Both breads have equal amounts of carbs. Per 100-gram servings, there are 46 grams of carbs in both.
Fiber
Roti contains 2 times more fiber compared to naan bread.
Per 100-gram serving, roti contains 9.7g of fiber, while naan contains 4.8g of fiber.
Fats
Although both roti and naan are very low in fat, roti contains slightly higher amounts of fat.
Per 100-gram serving, there are 9.2 grams of fat in roti and 6.7 grams of fat in naan.
Proteins
Naan bread contains slightly more proteins compared to roti.
Per 100-gram serving, naan contains 10.2 grams of protein, while roti contains 7.85 grams.
Vitamins
The predominant vitamins found in both types of bread are B-complex vitamins; however, roti is richer in almost all of them compared to naan. Specifically, it contains around 2 to 3 times more vitamin b1, vitamin b6, and folate.
Roti is also richer in vitamins B3 and B5. On the other hand, naan is around 2 times richer in vitamin E.
They also contain equal amounts of vitamin B2 and vitamin K.
Below you can find their vitamin distributions.
Vitamin Comparison
Minerals
Roti is richer in copper, selenium, manganese, zinc, and iron. In comparison, naan is richer in phosphorus and magnesium. However, naan is also around 2 times higher in sodium.
Moreover, the amount of selenium found in roti is around 2 times higher than the amount found in naan.
Below you can find their mineral distributions.
Mineral Comparison
Glycemic Index
Generally, since roti is often made with whole wheat flour, it has a lower glycemic index value than naan made from white flour.
The glycemic index of whole wheat-flour roti is 45, which is considered a low-GI value, while the glycemic index of white-flour naan is 71, which is considered a high-GI value. However, if naan is made from whole wheat flour, it would also have a lower GI value.
Acidity
One way to understand the acidity of foods is through their potential renal acid load (PRAL) value, which shows how much acid or base the given food produces inside the organism.
Based on our calculations, the PRAL values of roti and naan are 3.7 and 5.5, respectively, meaning both values are acidic.
Health Impact
Roti bread is often richer in fiber and is prepared with whole wheat flour, while naan bread is often made with white flour, although whole wheat flour is also a popular option for naan. Bread made from whole wheat flour has a lower glycemic index value than those made from white flour.
The consumption of high-fiber, low-glycemic index foods has several benefits. They can positively impact insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes or high blood glucose levels in patients with prediabetes.
In addition, consuming foods that are richer in fiber is beneficial for your gastrointestinal system as they decrease the risks of colorectal cancers and diverticular diseases. Swapping naan bread with roti has more health benefits on metabolic markers and the gastrointestinal tract (1, 2, 3).
In addition, roti is richer in most vitamins and minerals as well, and overall we can consider it a better bread option compared to naan.
References
Infographic
Fat Type Comparison
Carbohydrate type comparison
Comparison summary table
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| Lower in Sugar |
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| Lower in Sodium |
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| Lower in Cholesterol |
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| Lower in Glycemic Index |
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| Lower in Saturated Fat |
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| Lower in price | Equal | ||
| Rich in minerals | Equal | ||
| Rich in vitamins | Equal | ||
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
| Nutrient | |
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Opinion |
| Net carbs | 41.41g | 36.43g |
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| Protein | 10.2g | 7.85g |
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| Fats | 6.7g | 9.2g |
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| Carbs | 46.21g | 46.13g |
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| Calories | 286kcal | 299kcal |
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| Starch | 36g | 33.67g |
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| Fructose | 0.8g | 0.27g |
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| Sugar | 3.4g | 2.93g |
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| Fiber | 4.8g | 9.7g |
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| Calcium | 59mg | 36mg |
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| Iron | 1.73mg | 2.2mg |
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| Magnesium | 68mg | 56mg |
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| Phosphorus | 188mg | 158mg |
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| Potassium | 185mg | 196mg |
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| Sodium | 467mg | 298mg |
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| Zinc | 1.24mg | 1.54mg |
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| Copper | 0.158mg | 0.229mg |
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| Manganese | 1.4mg | 1.747mg |
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| Selenium | 11.4µg | 26.6µg |
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| Vitamin A | 6IU | 0IU |
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| Vitamin A RAE | 2µg | 0µg |
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| Vitamin E | 1.32mg | 0.55mg |
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| Vitamin B1 | 0.176mg | 0.45mg |
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| Vitamin B2 | 0.18mg | 0.18mg | |
| Vitamin B3 | 3.58mg | 4.61mg |
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| Vitamin B5 | 0.56mg |
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| Vitamin B6 | 0.128mg | 0.28mg |
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| Folate | 16µg | 45µg |
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| Vitamin K | 3.3µg | 3.3µg | |
| Cholesterol | 1mg | 0mg |
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| Trans Fat | 0.029g |
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| Saturated Fat | 2.907g | 3.311g |
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| Monounsaturated Fat | 1.946g | 2.091g |
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| Polyunsaturated fat | 1.258g | 0.761g |
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| Omega-6 - Linoleic acid | 0.72g |
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| Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid | 0.003g |
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| Omega-3 - ALA | 0.027g |
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| Omega-3 - Eicosatrienoic acid | 0.002g |
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Which food is preferable for your diet?
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| Low Fats diet |
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| Low Carbs diet |
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| Low Calories diet |
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| Low Glycemic Index diet |
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People also compare
Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
Comparison summary
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.
- Naan - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174077/nutrients
- Roti (Chapati) - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174075/nutrients
All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.