Barley vs. Wheat Flour
Nutrition comparison of Barley and Wheat Flour
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
barley
versus
wheat flour
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in barley and wheat flour:
- Both wheat flour and barley are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron and protein.
- Barley is a great source of potassium.
- Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin and folate, however, barley contains more Vitamin B6.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both wheat flour and barley are high in calories. Wheat flour is very similar to barley for calories - wheat flour has 361 calories per 100 grams and barley has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, barley is heavier in carbs and similar to wheat flour for protein and fat. Barley has a macronutrient ratio of 11:86:3 and for wheat flour, 14:82:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Barley | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 82% |
| Fat | 3% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both wheat flour and barley are high in carbohydrates. Wheat flour is very similar to wheat flour for carbohydrates - wheat flour has 72.5g of total carbs per 100 grams and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both wheat flour and barley are high in dietary fiber. Barley has 550% more dietary fiber than wheat flour - wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Wheat flour and barley contain similar amounts of sugar - wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar per 100 grams and barley has 0.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Both wheat flour and barley are high in protein. Wheat flour has 21% more protein than barley - wheat flour has 12g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both wheat flour and barley are low in saturated fat - wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat per 100 grams and barley has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Barley and wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - barley has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Wheat flour and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Wheat flour and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and barley has 2.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin and folate, however, barley contains more Vitamin B6. Both barley and wheat flour contain significant amounts of niacin and pantothenic acid.
| Barley | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.191 MG | 0.812 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.114 MG | 0.512 MG |
| Niacin | 4.604 MG | 7.554 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.282 MG | 0.438 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.037 MG |
| Folate | 23 UG | 183 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Barley has 93% more calcium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and barley has 29mg of calcium.
iron
Both wheat flour and barley are high in iron. Wheat flour has 76% more iron than barley - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron per 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.
potassium
Barley is a great source of potassium and it has 180% more potassium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 100mg of potassium per 100 grams and barley has 280mg 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, both barley and wheat flour contain small amounts of beta-carotene.
| Barley | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 13 UG | 1 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 160 UG | 79 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both barley and wheat flour contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Barley | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.043 G |
| Total | 0.055 G | 0.043 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both barley and wheat flour contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Barley | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.505 G | 0.685 G |
| Total | 0.505 G | 0.685 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: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) .
Barley g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Wheat Flour 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 wheat flour or barley contain more calories in 100 grams?Both wheat flour and barley are high in calories. Wheat flour is quite similar to barley for calories - wheat flour has 361 calories in 100g and barley has 352 calories.
Does wheat flour or barley have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both wheat flour and barley are high in carbohydrates. wheat flour is very similar to wheat flour for carbohydrates - wheat flour has 72.5g of carbs for 100g and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
Does wheat flour or barley contain more iron?
Both wheat flour and barley are high in iron. Wheat flour has 80% more iron than barley - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron in 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.