Egg Yolk vs. Spirulina
Nutrition comparison of Egg Yolk and Spirulina
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
egg yolk
versus
spirulina
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in egg yolk and spirulina:
- Both spirulina and egg yolk are high in calcium, calories, iron and protein.
- Egg yolk has 5.6 times less carbohydrates than spirulina.
- Egg yolk is an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin D.
- Spirulina has more beta-carotene than egg yolk, however, egg yolk contains more alpha-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than spirulina.
- Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, however, egg yolk contains more Vitamin B12.
- Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than egg yolk.
- Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber and potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Egg Yolk (Egg, yolk, raw, fresh) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both spirulina and egg yolk are high in calories. Egg yolk has 11% more calories than spirulina - spirulina has 290 calories per 100 grams and egg yolk has 322 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, egg yolk is much lighter in protein, lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to spirulina per calorie. Egg yolk has a macronutrient ratio of 20:5:76 and for spirulina, 58:24:18 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Egg Yolk | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 20% | 58% |
| Carbohydrates | 5% | 24% |
| Fat | 76% | 18% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Egg yolk has 5.6 times less carbohydrates than spirulina - spirulina has 23.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and egg yolk has 3.6g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than egg yolk - spirulina has 3.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and egg yolk does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Spirulina and egg yolk contain similar amounts of sugar - spirulina has 3.1g of sugar per 100 grams and egg yolk has 0.56g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Both spirulina and egg yolk are high in protein. Spirulina has 262% more protein than egg yolk - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and egg yolk has 15.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Egg yolk is high in saturated fat and spirulina has 72% less saturated fat than egg yolk - spirulina has 2.7g of saturated fat per 100 grams and egg yolk has 9.6g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Egg yolk is high in cholesterol and spirulina has less cholesterol than egg yolk - egg yolk has 1085mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than egg yolk - spirulina has 10.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and egg yolk does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Egg yolk is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 12 times more Vitamin A than spirulina - spirulina has 29ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and egg yolk has 381ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Egg yolk is an excellent source of Vitamin D and it has more Vitamin D than spirulina - egg yolk has 218iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Spirulina has 94% more Vitamin E than egg yolk - spirulina has 5mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and egg yolk has 2.6mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Spirulina has 35 times more Vitamin K than egg yolk - spirulina has 25.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and egg yolk has 0.7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, however, egg yolk contains more Vitamin B12. Both egg yolk and spirulina contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Egg Yolk | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.176 MG | 2.38 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.528 MG | 3.67 MG |
| Niacin | 0.024 MG | 12.82 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 2.99 MG | 3.48 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.35 MG | 0.364 MG |
| Folate | 146 UG | 94 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.95 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Both spirulina and egg yolk are high in calcium. Egg yolk has a little more calcium (8%) than spirulina by weight - spirulina has 120mg of calcium per 100 grams and egg yolk has 129mg of calcium.
iron
Both spirulina and egg yolk are high in iron. Spirulina has 944% more iron than egg yolk - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron per 100 grams and egg yolk has 2.7mg of iron.
potassium
Spirulina is an excellent source of potassium and it has 11 times more potassium than egg yolk - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium per 100 grams and egg yolk has 109mg 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, spirulina has more beta-carotene than egg yolk per 100 grams, however, egg yolk contains more alpha-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than spirulina per 100 grams.
| Egg Yolk | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 88 UG | 342 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 38 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 1094 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, spirulina has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than egg yolk per 100 grams, however, egg yolk contains more dha and epa than spirulina per 100 grams.
| Egg Yolk | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.103 G | 0.823 G |
| DHA | 0.114 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.011 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.228 G | 0.823 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, egg yolk has more linoleic acid than spirulina per 100 grams.
| Egg Yolk | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.438 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 3.538 G | 1.254 G |
| Total | 3.976 G | 1.254 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.
Egg Yolk g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Spirulina 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 spirulina or egg yolk contain more calories in 100 grams?Both spirulina and egg yolk are high in calories. Egg yolk has 10% more calories than spirulina - spirulina has 290 calories in 100g and egg yolk has 322 calories.
Is spirulina or egg yolk better for protein?
Both spirulina and egg yolk are high in protein. Spirulina has 260% more protein than egg yolk - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and egg yolk has 15.9g of protein.
Does spirulina or egg yolk contain more calcium?
Both spirulina and egg yolk are high in calcium. Egg yolk has a little more calcium ( 10%) than spirulina by weight - spirulina has 120mg of calcium in 100 grams and egg yolk has 129mg of calcium.
Does spirulina or egg yolk contain more iron?
Both spirulina and egg yolk are high in iron. Spirulina has 940% more iron than egg yolk - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron in 100 grams and egg yolk has 2.7mg of iron.
Does spirulina or egg yolk contain more potassium?
Spirulina is a rich source of potassium and it has 11 times more potassium than egg yolk - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium in 100 grams and egg yolk has 109mg of potassium.