Wild Rice vs. Alfalfa Sprouts
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Wild Rice and Alfalfa Sprouts
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
wild rice
versus
alfalfa sprouts
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in wild rice and alfalfa sprouts:
- Alfalfa sprout has 9.1 times less carbohydrates than wild rice.
- Alfalfa sprout has more beta-carotene than wild rice, however, wild rice contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than alfalfa sprout.
- Alfalfa sprout has signficantly more calcium than wild rice.
- Wild rice has more niacin and Vitamin B6, however, alfalfa sprout contains more pantothenic acid.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Wild Rice (Wild rice, cooked) and Alfalfa Sprouts (Alfalfa seeds, sprouted, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Wild rice is high in calories and alfalfa sprout has 77% less calories than wild rice - alfalfa sprout has 23 calories per 100 grams and wild rice has 101 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, wild rice is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to alfalfa sprouts per calorie. Wild rice has a macronutrient ratio of 15:82:3 and for alfalfa sprouts, 53:29:18 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Wild Rice | Alfalfa Sprouts | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 15% | 53% |
| Carbohydrates | 82% | 29% |
| Fat | 3% | 18% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Alfalfa sprout has 9.1 times less carbohydrates than wild rice - alfalfa sprout has 2.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and wild rice has 21.3g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Alfalfa sprouts and wild rice contain similar amounts of dietary fiber - alfalfa sprout has 1.9g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and wild rice has 1.8g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Alfalfa sprouts and wild rice contain similar amounts of sugar - alfalfa sprout has 0.2g of sugar per 100 grams and wild rice has 0.73g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Alfalfa sprouts and wild rice contain similar amounts of protein - alfalfa sprout has 4g of protein per 100 grams and wild rice has 4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both alfalfa sprouts and wild rice are low in saturated fat - alfalfa sprout has 0.07g of saturated fat per 100 grams and wild rice has 0.05g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Alfalfa sprout has more Vitamin C than wild rice - alfalfa sprout has 8.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and wild rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Alfalfa sprout has more Vitamin A than wild rice - alfalfa sprout has 8ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and wild rice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Alfalfa sprouts and wild rice contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - alfalfa sprout has 0.02mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and wild rice has 0.24mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Alfalfa sprout has 60 times more Vitamin K than wild rice - alfalfa sprout has 30.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and wild rice has 0.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Wild rice has more niacin and Vitamin B6, however, alfalfa sprout contains more pantothenic acid. Both wild rice and alfalfa sprouts contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin and folate.
| Wild Rice | Alfalfa Sprouts | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.052 MG | 0.076 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.087 MG | 0.126 MG |
| Niacin | 1.287 MG | 0.481 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.154 MG | 0.563 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.135 MG | 0.034 MG |
| Folate | 26 UG | 36 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Alfalfa sprout has signficantly more calcium than wild rice - alfalfa sprout has 32mg of calcium per 100 grams and wild rice has 3mg of calcium.
iron
Alfalfa sprouts and wild rice contain similar amounts of iron - alfalfa sprout has 0.96mg of iron per 100 grams and wild rice has 0.6mg of iron.
potassium
Alfalfa sprouts and wild rice contain similar amounts of potassium - alfalfa sprout has 79mg of potassium per 100 grams and wild rice has 101mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, alfalfa sprout has more beta-carotene than wild rice per 100 grams, however, wild rice contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than alfalfa sprout per 100 grams.
| Wild Rice | Alfalfa Sprouts | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 2 UG | 87 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 64 UG | ~ |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 6 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both wild rice and alfalfa sprouts contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Wild Rice | Alfalfa Sprouts | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.095 G | 0.175 G |
| Total | 0.095 G | 0.175 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both wild rice and alfalfa sprouts contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Wild Rice | Alfalfa Sprouts | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.119 G | 0.234 G |
| Total | 0.119 G | 0.234 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Wild Rice (Wild rice, cooked) and Alfalfa Sprouts (Alfalfa seeds, sprouted, raw) .
Cooked Wild Rice g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Alfalfa Sprouts g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does alfalfa sprouts or wild rice contain more calories in 100 grams?Wild rice is high in calories and alfalfa sprout has 80% less calories than wild rice - alfalfa sprout has 23 calories in 100g and wild rice has 101 calories.
Is alfalfa sprouts or wild rice better for protein?
Alfalfa sprouts and wild rice contain similar amounts of protein - alfalfa sprout has 4g of protein per 100 grams and wild rice has 4g of protein.
Does alfalfa sprouts or wild rice have more carbohydrates?
By weight, alfalfa sprout has 9.1 times fewer carbohydrates than wild rice - alfalfa sprout has 2.1g of carbs for 100g and wild rice has 21.3g of carbohydrates.