Barley vs. Beets
Nutrition comparison of Barley and Beets
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
barley
versus
beets
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in barley and beets:
- Both beets and barley are high in dietary fiber and potassium.
- Barley has 7.4 times less sugar than beet.
- Barley has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6, however, beet contains more folate.
- Barley is a great source of iron and protein.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Barley (Barley, pearled, raw) and Beets (Beets, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Barley is high in calories and beet has 88% less calories than barley - beet has 43 calories per 100 grams and barley has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, barley is similar to beets for protein, carbs and fat. Barley has a macronutrient ratio of 11:86:3 and for beets, 14:83:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Barley | Beets | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 83% |
| Fat | 3% | 3% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Barley is high in carbohydrates and beet has 88% less carbohydrates than barley - beet has 9.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both beets and barley are high in dietary fiber. Barley has 457% more dietary fiber than beet - beet has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and barley has 15.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Barley has 7.4 times less sugar than beet - beet has 6.8g of sugar per 100 grams and barley has 0.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Barley is a great source of protein and it has 516% more protein than beet - beet has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and barley has 9.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both beets and barley are low in saturated fat - beet has 0.03g of saturated fat per 100 grams and barley has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Beet has more Vitamin C than barley - beet has 4.9mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and barley does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Beets and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - beet has 2ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and barley has 1ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Beets and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - beet has 0.04mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and barley has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Beets and barley contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - beet has 0.2ug 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, however, beet contains more folate. Both barley and beets contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid.
| Barley | Beets | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.191 MG | 0.031 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.114 MG | 0.04 MG |
| Niacin | 4.604 MG | 0.334 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.282 MG | 0.155 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.067 MG |
| Folate | 23 UG | 109 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Barley has 81% more calcium than beet - beet has 16mg of calcium per 100 grams and barley has 29mg of calcium.
iron
Barley is a great source of iron and it has 213% more iron than beet - beet has 0.8mg of iron per 100 grams and barley has 2.5mg of iron.
potassium
Both beets and barley are high in potassium. Beet has 16% more potassium than barley - beet has 325mg 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 beets contain small amounts of beta-carotene.
| Barley | Beets | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 13 UG | 20 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 160 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, barley has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than beet per 100 grams.
| Barley | Beets | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.005 G |
| Total | 0.055 G | 0.005 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, barley has more linoleic acid than beet per 100 grams.
| Barley | Beets | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.505 G | 0.055 G |
| Total | 0.505 G | 0.055 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 (%) |
Beets 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 beets or barley contain more calories in 100 grams?Barley is high in calories and beet has 90% less calories than barley - beet has 43 calories in 100g and barley has 352 calories.
Does beets or barley have more carbohydrates?
By weight, barley is high in carbohydrates and beet has 90% fewer carbohydrates than barley - beet has 9.6g of carbs for 100g and barley has 77.7g of carbohydrates.
Does beets or barley contain more potassium?
Both beets and barley are high in potassium. Beet has 20% more potassium than barley - beet has 325mg of potassium in 100 grams and barley has 280mg of potassium.