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Cheese vs. Ricotta — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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A recap on the differences between cheese and ricotta

  • Cheese is higher than ricotta in calcium, phosphorus, vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, vitamin B2, and vitamin A.
  • Cheese covers your daily saturated fat needs 53% more than ricotta.
  • Cheese contains 8 times more sodium than ricotta. While cheese contains 653mg of sodium, ricotta contains only 84mg.
  • The glycemic index of cheese is lower.

Food varieties used in this article are Cheese, cheddar and Cheese, ricotta, whole milk.

Infographic

Cheese vs Ricotta 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.
Cheese
Cheese
7
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 19% 213% 6.7% 5.3% 10% 99% 195% 85% 3.5% 155%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 7.9% 62% 9.3% 14% 7% 32% 68% 11% 0.78% 79%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +145.5%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +243%
Contains more CopperCopper +42.9%
Contains more ZincZinc +213.8%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +188%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +350%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +96.6%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +38.2%
Contains more IronIron +171.4%
Contains less SodiumSodium -87.1%

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.
Cheese
Cheese
10
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E 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 0% 9% 110% 14% 7.3% 99% 1.1% 25% 15% 138% 6% 20%
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E 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 0% 3% 40% 2.2% 3.3% 45% 2% 13% 9.9% 43% 2.8% 9%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D +200%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +175%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +545.5%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +123.1%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +119.5%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +92.5%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +53.5%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +223.5%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +118.2%
Contains more FolateFolate +125%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +76.3%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Cheese Ricotta DV% diff.
Calcium 710mg 207mg 50%
Saturated fat 18.867g 8.295g 48%
Phosphorus 455mg 158mg 42%
Vitamin B12 1.1µg 0.34µg 32%
Fats 33.31g 12.98g 31%
Sodium 653mg 84mg 25%
Selenium 28.5µg 14.5µg 25%
Protein 22.87g 11.26g 23%
Zinc 3.64mg 1.16mg 23%
Vitamin A 330µg 120µg 23%
Vitamin B2 0.428mg 0.195mg 18%
Cholesterol 99mg 51mg 16%
Monounsaturated fat 9.246g 3.627g 14%
Calories 404kcal 174kcal 12%
Polyunsaturated fat 1.421g 0.385g 7%
Magnesium 27mg 11mg 4%
Vitamin E 0.71mg 0.11mg 4%
Vitamin B5 0.41mg 0.213mg 4%
Folate 27µg 12µg 4%
Iron 0.14mg 0.38mg 3%
Vitamin D* 24 IU 10 IU 2%
Vitamin D 0.6µg 0.2µg 2%
Vitamin B6 0.066mg 0.043mg 2%
Potassium 76mg 105mg 1%
Copper 0.03mg 0.021mg 1%
Manganese 0.027mg 0.006mg 1%
Vitamin B1 0.029mg 0.013mg 1%
Vitamin K 2.4µg 1.1µg 1%
Protein per 100 calories 5.7g 6.5g N/A
Calories per 10 g protein 177kcal 155kcal N/A
Weight per 100 calories 25g 57g N/A
Unsaturated / Saturated Fat ratio 0.57 0.48 N/A
Net carbs 3.09g 3.04g N/A
Carbs 3.09g 3.04g 0%
Sugar 0.48g 0.27g N/A
Vitamin B3 0.059mg 0.104mg 0%
Trans fat 0.917g N/A
Choline 16.5mg 17.5mg 0%
Tryptophan 0.547mg 0.125mg 0%
Threonine 1.044mg 0.517mg 0%
Isoleucine 1.206mg 0.589mg 0%
Leucine 1.939mg 1.221mg 0%
Lysine 1.025mg 1.338mg 0%
Methionine 0.547mg 0.281mg 0%
Phenylalanine 1.074mg 0.556mg 0%
Valine 1.404mg 0.692mg 0%
Histidine 0.547mg 0.459mg 0%
Omega-3 - EPA 0.01g 0g N/A
Omega-3 - DHA 0.001g 0g N/A
Omega-3 - DPA 0.017g 0g N/A
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.007g N/A

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cheese
Cheese
4
23% 33% 3% 37% 4%
Protein: 22.87 g
Fats: 33.31 g
Carbs: 3.09 g
Water: 37.02 g
Other: 3.71 g
11% 13% 3% 72%
Protein: 11.26 g
Fats: 12.98 g
Carbs: 3.04 g
Water: 71.7 g
Other: 1.02 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +103.1%
Contains more FatsFats +156.6%
Contains more OtherOther +263.7%
Contains more WaterWater +93.7%
~equal in Carbs ~3.04g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Cheese
Cheese
2
64% 31% 5%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 18.867 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 9.246 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.421 g
67% 29% 3%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 8.295 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 3.627 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.385 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +154.9%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +269.1%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -56%

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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. Cheese - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173414/nutrients
  2. Ricotta - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170851/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.