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Pasta vs. Whey — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are pasta and whey different?

  • Pasta is richer in folate, vitamin B1, iron, copper, manganese, and vitamin B3, while whey is higher in vitamin B12.
  • Pasta covers your daily need for folate, 16% more than whey.
  • Pasta contains 224 times more manganese than whey. Pasta contains 0.224mg of manganese, while whey contains 0.001mg.
  • Whey is lower in cholesterol.

Pasta, fresh-refrigerated, plain, cooked and Whey, sweet, fluid types were used in this article.

Infographic

Pasta 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.
Pasta
7
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 13% 1.8% 2.1% 43% 31% 15% 27% 0.78% 29% 0%
Whey
3
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 +125%
Contains more IronIron +1800%
Contains more CopperCopper +2225%
Contains more ZincZinc +330.8%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +37%
Contains less SodiumSodium -88.9%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +22300%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +683.3%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +570.8%

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.
Pasta
4
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% 2% 0% 0% 52% 35% 19% 11% 7.8% 18% 0% 48% 0%
Whey
4
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% 1% 0% 0% 9% 36% 1.4% 23% 7.2% 35% 0% 0.75% 8.7%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +100%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +480.6%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +1240.5%
Contains more FolateFolate +6300%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +109.3%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +100%
~equal in Vitamin E ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Vitamin B2 ~0.158mg
~equal in Vitamin B6 ~0.031mg
~equal in Vitamin K ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Pasta
3
5% 25% 69%
Protein: 5.15 g
Fats: 1.05 g
Carbs: 24.93 g
Water: 68.56 g
Other: 0.31 g
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 +505.9%
Contains more FatsFats +191.7%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +385%
Contains more WaterWater +35.8%
Contains more OtherOther +71%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Pasta
3
21% 18% 61%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.15 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.124 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.429 g
Whey
0
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 less Sat. FatSaturated fat -34.8%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +24%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +3800%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Pasta Whey DV% diff.
Folate 64µg 1µg 16%
Vitamin B1 0.209mg 0.036mg 14%
Iron 1.14mg 0.06mg 14%
Cholesterol 33mg 2mg 10%
Manganese 0.224mg 0.001mg 10%
Copper 0.093mg 0.004mg 10%
Protein 5.15g 0.85g 9%
Carbs 24.93g 5.14g 7%
Vitamin B12 0.14µg 0.28µg 6%
Vitamin B3 0.992mg 0.074mg 6%
Calories 131kcal 27kcal 5%
Potassium 24mg 161mg 4%
Zinc 0.56mg 0.13mg 4%
Calcium 6mg 47mg 4%
Vitamin B5 0.183mg 0.383mg 4%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.429g 0.011g 3%
Selenium 1.9µg 3%
Choline 16mg 3%
Phosphorus 63mg 46mg 2%
Sodium 6mg 54mg 2%
Magnesium 18mg 8mg 2%
Fats 1.05g 0.36g 1%
Vitamin B2 0.15mg 0.158mg 1%
Vitamin C 0mg 0.1mg 0%
Net carbs 24.93g 5.14g N/A
Sugar 5.14g N/A
Vitamin A 6µg 3µg 0%
Vitamin B6 0.034mg 0.031mg 0%
Saturated fat 0.15g 0.23g 0%
Monounsaturated fat 0.124g 0.1g 0%
Tryptophan 0.065mg 0.013mg 0%
Threonine 0.134mg 0.054mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.197mg 0.047mg 0%
Leucine 0.348mg 0.078mg 0%
Lysine 0.097mg 0.068mg 0%
Methionine 0.079mg 0.016mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.247mg 0.027mg 0%
Valine 0.217mg 0.046mg 0%
Histidine 0.103mg 0.016mg 0%

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Pasta 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%
Pasta
9%
Whey
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
16%
Pasta
8%
Whey

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Whey
Whey is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 31mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Whey
Whey is lower in glycemic index (difference - 6)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Pasta
Pasta is lower in Sugar (difference - 5.14g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Pasta
Pasta contains less Sodium (difference - 48mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Pasta
Pasta is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 0.08g)
Which food is cheaper?
Pasta
Pasta is cheaper (difference - $0.6)
Which food is richer in minerals?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

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. Pasta - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169728/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.