Couscous vs. Wheat Flour
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Couscous and Wheat Flour
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
couscous
versus
wheat flour
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in couscous and wheat flour:
- Both wheat flour and couscous are high in calories.
- Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate.
- Wheat flour is a great source of dietary fiber and protein.
- Wheat flour is an excellent source of iron.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Couscous (Couscous, cooked) 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 couscous are high in calories. Wheat flour has 222% more calories than couscous - wheat flour has 361 calories per 100 grams and couscous has 112 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, couscous is similar to wheat flour for protein, carbs and fat. Couscous has a macronutrient ratio of 14:85:2 and for wheat flour, 14:82:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Couscous | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 85% | 82% |
| Fat | 2% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Wheat flour is high in carbohydrates and couscous has 68% less carbohydrates than wheat flour - wheat flour has 72.5g of total carbs per 100 grams and couscous has 23.2g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Wheat flour is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 71% more dietary fiber than couscous - wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and couscous has 1.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Wheat flour and couscous contain similar amounts of sugar - wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar per 100 grams and couscous has 0.1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Wheat flour is a great source of protein and it has 216% more protein than couscous - wheat flour has 12g of protein per 100 grams and couscous has 3.8g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both wheat flour and couscous are low in saturated fat - wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat per 100 grams and couscous has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Wheat flour and couscous contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - wheat flour has 0.6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and couscous does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Wheat flour and couscous contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and couscous has 0.13mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Wheat flour and couscous contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and couscous has 0.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate. Both couscous and wheat flour contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Couscous | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.063 MG | 0.812 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.027 MG | 0.512 MG |
| Niacin | 0.983 MG | 7.554 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.371 MG | 0.438 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.051 MG | 0.037 MG |
| Folate | 15 UG | 183 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Wheat flour and couscous contain similar amounts of calcium - wheat flour has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and couscous has 8mg of calcium.
iron
Wheat flour is an excellent source of iron and it has 10 times more iron than couscous - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron per 100 grams and couscous has 0.38mg of iron.
potassium
Wheat flour has 72% more potassium than couscous - wheat flour has 100mg of potassium per 100 grams and couscous has 58mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, wheat flour has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than couscous per 100 grams.
| Couscous | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.003 G | 0.043 G |
| Total | 0.003 G | 0.043 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, wheat flour has more linoleic acid than couscous per 100 grams.
| Couscous | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.06 G | 0.685 G |
| Total | 0.06 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: Couscous (Couscous, cooked) and Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) .
Cooked Couscous 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 couscous contain more calories in 100 grams?Both wheat flour and couscous are high in calories. Wheat flour has 220% more calories than couscous - wheat flour has 361 calories in 100g and couscous has 112 calories.
Does wheat flour or couscous have more carbohydrates?
By weight, wheat flour is high in carbohydrates and couscous has 70% fewer carbohydrates than wheat flour - wheat flour has 72.5g of carbs for 100g and couscous has 23.2g of carbohydrates.
Does wheat flour or couscous contain more iron?
Wheat flour is an abundant source of iron and it has 10 times more iron than couscous - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron in 100 grams and couscous has 0.38mg of iron.