Barley vs. Whole Wheat Flour
Nutrition comparison of Barley and Whole 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
whole wheat flour
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in barley and whole wheat flour:
- Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron, potassium and protein.
- Whole wheat flour has more pantothenic acid.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Whole Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, whole-grain, soft wheat) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in calories. Barley has a little more calories (6%) than whole wheat flour by weight - whole wheat flour has 332 calories per 100 grams and barley has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, barley is similar to whole wheat flour for protein, carbs and fat. Barley has a macronutrient ratio of 11:86:3 and for whole wheat flour, 11:84:5 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Barley | Whole Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 84% |
| Fat | 3% | 5% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in carbohydrates. Whole wheat flour is very similar to whole wheat flour for carbohydrates - whole wheat flour has 74.5g of total carbs per 100 grams and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in dietary fiber. Barley has 19% more dietary fiber than whole wheat flour - whole wheat flour has 13.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Whole wheat flour and barley contain similar amounts of sugar - whole wheat flour has 1g of sugar per 100 grams and barley has 0.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in protein. Whole wheat flour is very similar to whole wheat flour for protein - whole wheat flour has 9.6g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both whole wheat flour and barley are low in saturated fat - whole wheat flour has 0.43g of saturated fat per 100 grams and barley has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Barley and whole wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - barley has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and whole wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Whole wheat flour and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - whole wheat flour has 0.53mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Whole wheat flour and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - whole wheat flour has 1.9ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and barley has 2.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Whole wheat flour has more pantothenic acid. Both barley and whole wheat flour contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Barley | Whole Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.191 MG | 0.297 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.114 MG | 0.188 MG |
| Niacin | 4.604 MG | 5.347 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.282 MG | 1.011 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.191 MG |
| Folate | 23 UG | 28 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Whole wheat flour and barley contain similar amounts of calcium - whole wheat flour has 33mg of calcium per 100 grams and barley has 29mg of calcium.
iron
Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in iron. Whole wheat flour has 48% more iron than barley - whole wheat flour has 3.7mg of iron per 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.
potassium
Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in potassium. Whole wheat flour has 41% more potassium than barley - whole wheat flour has 394mg 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 whole wheat flour contain significant amounts of lutein + zeaxanthin.
| Barley | Whole Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 13 UG | 5 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 160 UG | 220 UG |
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 Whole Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, whole-grain, soft wheat) .
Barley g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whole 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 whole wheat flour or barley contain more calories in 100 grams?Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in calories. Barley has a little more calories ( 10%) than whole wheat flour by weight - whole wheat flour has 332 calories in 100g and barley has 352 calories.
Does whole wheat flour or barley have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both whole wheat flour and barley are high in carbohydrates. whole wheat flour is very similar to whole wheat flour for carbohydrates - whole wheat flour has 74.5g of carbs for 100g and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
Does whole wheat flour or barley contain more iron?
Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in iron. Whole wheat flour has 50% more iron than barley - whole wheat flour has 3.7mg of iron in 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.
Does whole wheat flour or barley contain more potassium?
Both whole wheat flour and barley are high in potassium. Whole wheat flour has 40% more potassium than barley - whole wheat flour has 394mg of potassium in 100 grams and barley has 280mg of potassium.