Barley vs. Couscous
Nutrition comparison of Barley and Cooked Couscous
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
barley
versus
cooked
couscous
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in barley and couscous:
- Both couscous and barley are high in calories.
- Barley has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
- Barley is a great source of iron, potassium and protein.
- Barley is an excellent source of dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Couscous (Couscous, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both couscous and barley are high in calories. Barley has 214% more calories than couscous - couscous has 112 calories per 100 grams and barley has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, barley is similar to couscous for protein, carbs and fat. Barley has a macronutrient ratio of 11:86:3 and for couscous, 14:85:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Barley | Couscous | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 85% |
| Fat | 3% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Barley is high in carbohydrates and couscous has 70% less carbohydrates than barley - couscous has 23.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Barley is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 10 times more dietary fiber than couscous - couscous has 1.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Couscous and barley contain similar amounts of sugar - couscous has 0.1g of sugar per 100 grams and barley has 0.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Barley is a great source of protein and it has 161% more protein than couscous - couscous has 3.8g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both couscous and barley are low in saturated fat - couscous has 0.03g of saturated fat per 100 grams and barley has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Barley and couscous contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - barley has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and couscous does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Couscous and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - couscous has 0.13mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Couscous and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - couscous has 0.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and barley has 2.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Barley has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6. Both barley and couscous contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid and folate.
| Barley | Couscous | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.191 MG | 0.063 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.114 MG | 0.027 MG |
| Niacin | 4.604 MG | 0.983 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.282 MG | 0.371 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.051 MG |
| Folate | 23 UG | 15 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Barley has 263% more calcium than couscous - couscous has 8mg of calcium per 100 grams and barley has 29mg of calcium.
iron
Barley is a great source of iron and it has 558% more iron than couscous - couscous has 0.38mg of iron per 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.
potassium
Barley is a great source of potassium and it has 383% more potassium than couscous - couscous has 58mg of potassium per 100 grams and barley has 280mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, barley has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than couscous per 100 grams.
| Barley | Couscous | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.003 G |
| Total | 0.055 G | 0.003 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, barley has more linoleic acid than couscous per 100 grams.
| Barley | Couscous | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.505 G | 0.06 G |
| Total | 0.505 G | 0.06 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.
Barley g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Couscous 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 couscous or barley contain more calories in 100 grams?Both couscous and barley are high in calories. Barley has 210% more calories than couscous - couscous has 112 calories in 100g and barley has 352 calories.
Does couscous or barley have more carbohydrates?
By weight, barley is high in carbohydrates and couscous has 70% fewer carbohydrates than barley - couscous has 23.2g of carbs for 100g and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.