Cheese vs. Margarine
Nutrition comparison of Cheese and Margarine
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cheese
versus
margarine
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and margarine:
- Both cheese and margarine are high in Vitamin A, calories and saturated fat.
- Cheese has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12.
- Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and protein.
- Margarine has signficantly more Vitamin K than cheese.
- Margarine is a great source of Vitamin E.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Margarine (Margarine, regular, 80% fat, composite, stick, with salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both cheese and margarine are high in calories. Margarine has 87% more calories than cheese - cheese has 384 calories per 100 grams and margarine has 717 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheese is much heavier in protein, much lighter in fat and similar to margarine for carbs. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for margarine, 0:0:100 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cheese | Margarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25% | ~ |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 75% | 100% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cheese and margarine are low in carbohydrates - cheese has 0.13g of total carbs per 100 grams and margarine has 0.7g of carbohydrates.
Protein
protein
Cheese is an excellent source of protein and it has 146 times more protein than margarine - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and margarine has 0.16g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cheese and margarine are high in saturated fat. Cheese has a little more saturated fat (6%) than margarine by weight - cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and margarine has 15.2g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Margarine is high in trans fat and cheese has less trans fat than margarine - margarine has 14.9g of trans fat per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Margarine has less cholesterol than cheese - cheese has 95mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and margarine does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Margarine and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - margarine has 0.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Both cheese and margarine are high in Vitamin A. Margarine has 371% more Vitamin A than cheese - cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and margarine has 819ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Cheese has more Vitamin D than margarine - cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and margarine does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Margarine is a great source of Vitamin E and it has 35 times more Vitamin E than cheese - cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and margarine has 9mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Margarine has signficantly more Vitamin K than cheese - cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and margarine has 93ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Cheese has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12. Both cheese and margarine contain significant amounts of thiamin.
| Cheese | Margarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.01 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.318 MG | 0.037 MG |
| Niacin | 0.114 MG | 0.023 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.249 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.061 MG | 0.009 MG |
| Folate | 13 UG | 1 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.23 UG | 0.1 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and it has 218 times more calcium than margarine - cheese has 659mg of calcium per 100 grams and margarine has 3mg of calcium.
iron
Cheese has 883% more iron than margarine - cheese has 0.59mg of iron per 100 grams and margarine has 0.06mg of iron.
potassium
Cheese has 372% more potassium than margarine - cheese has 85mg of potassium per 100 grams and margarine has 18mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, margarine has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than cheese per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Margarine | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.332 G | 2.04 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.006 G |
| Total | 0.332 G | 2.046 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, margarine has more linoleic acid than cheese per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Margarine | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.532 G | 22.252 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.532 G | 22.253 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.
Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Margarine 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 cheese or margarine contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cheese and margarine are high in calories. Margarine has 90% more calories than cheese - cheese has 384 calories in 100g and margarine has 717 calories.
Does cheese or margarine contain more calcium?
Cheese is a rich source of calcium and it has 218 times more calcium than margarine - cheese has 659mg of calcium in 100 grams and margarine has 3mg of calcium.