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Flour vs. Cereal — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are flour and cereal different?

  • Flour is higher in selenium; however, cereal is richer in vitamin B1, vitamin B6, iron, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin A, zinc, and vitamin C.
  • Daily need coverage for vitamin B1 for cereal is 459% higher.
  • Flour contains 5 times more selenium than cereal. While flour contains 33.9µg of selenium, cereal contains only 6.3µg.
  • Flour has less sodium.

Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, enriched, bleached and Cereals ready-to-eat, USDA Commodity Corn and Rice (includes all commodity brands) are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

Flour vs Cereal 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.
Flour
5
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 16% 4.5% 9.4% 174% 48% 19% 46% 0.26% 89% 185%
Cereal
3
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 14% 3% 9.3% 1277% 46% 207% 33% 104% 103% 34%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +15.8%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +50%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +40.3%
Contains less SodiumSodium -99.7%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +438.1%
Contains more IronIron +634.1%
Contains more ZincZinc +985.7%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +15.8%
~equal in Potassium ~105mg
~equal in Copper ~0.137mg

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.
Flour
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% 0% 1.2% 0% 196% 114% 111% 26% 10% 0% 0.75% 137% 5.7%
Cereal
7
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 128% 271% 1.6% 0% 1572% 893% 555% 14% 1381% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +93.8%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +∞%
Contains more CholineCholine +∞%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +33.3%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +701%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +683.4%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +401.7%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +13504.5%
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Flour
2
10% 76% 12%
Protein: 10.33 g
Fats: 0.98 g
Carbs: 76.31 g
Water: 11.92 g
Other: 0.46 g
Cereal
3
6% 87% 4% 2%
Protein: 6.06 g
Fats: 1.08 g
Carbs: 86.85 g
Water: 3.78 g
Other: 2.23 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +70.5%
Contains more WaterWater +215.3%
Contains more FatsFats +10.2%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +13.8%
Contains more OtherOther +384.8%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Flour
2
24% 13% 63%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.155 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.087 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.413 g
Cereal
1
32% 25% 43%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.26 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.204 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.354 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -40.4%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +16.7%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +134.5%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Flour Cereal DV% diff.
Vitamin B1 0.785mg 6.288mg 459%
Vitamin B6 0.044mg 5.986mg 457%
Iron 4.64mg 34.06mg 368%
Vitamin B2 0.494mg 3.87mg 260%
Vitamin B3 5.904mg 29.62mg 148%
Vitamin A 0µg 814µg 90%
Zinc 0.7mg 7.6mg 63%
Selenium 33.9µg 6.3µg 50%
Folate 183µg 46%
Vitamin C 0mg 38.5mg 43%
Sodium 2mg 795mg 34%
Protein 10.33g 6.06g 9%
Manganese 0.682mg 0.79mg 5%
Fiber 2.7g 1.4g 5%
Carbs 76.31g 86.85g 4%
Vitamin B5 0.438mg 0.226mg 4%
Phosphorus 108mg 77mg 4%
Choline 10.4mg 2%
Calories 364kcal 378kcal 1%
Copper 0.144mg 0.137mg 1%
Calcium 15mg 10mg 1%
Magnesium 22mg 19mg 1%
Fats 0.98g 1.08g 0%
Net carbs 73.61g 85.45g N/A
Potassium 107mg 105mg 0%
Sugar 0.27g 10.35g N/A
Vitamin E 0.06mg 0.08mg 0%
Vitamin K 0.3µg 0µg 0%
Saturated fat 0.155g 0.26g 0%
Monounsaturated fat 0.087g 0.204g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.413g 0.354g 0%
Tryptophan 0.127mg 0.066mg 0%
Threonine 0.281mg 0.241mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.357mg 0.26mg 0%
Leucine 0.71mg 0.767mg 0%
Lysine 0.228mg 0.113mg 0%
Methionine 0.183mg 0.13mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.52mg 0.365mg 0%
Valine 0.415mg 0.344mg 0%
Histidine 0.23mg 0.162mg 0%
Fructose 0.26g 0%

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Flour Cereal
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
46%
Flour
371%
Cereal
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
59%
Flour
183%
Cereal

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Flour
Flour is lower in Sugar (difference - 10.08g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Flour
Flour contains less Sodium (difference - 793mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Flour
Flour is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 0.105g)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Cereal
Cereal is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 0mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Cereal
Cereal is lower in glycemic index (difference - 3)
Which food is cheaper?
Cereal
Cereal is cheaper (difference - $1)
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. Flour - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168894/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.