Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
flaxseeds
versus
bittersweet chocolate
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in flaxseeds and bittersweet chocolate:
Both bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds are high in calories. Bittersweet chocolate has 20% more calories than flaxseed - bittersweet chocolate has 642 calories per 100 grams and flaxseed has 534 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, flaxseeds is heavier in protein, lighter in fat and similar to bittersweet chocolate for carbs. Flaxseeds has a macronutrient ratio of 13:21:66 and for bittersweet chocolate, 9:18:73 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
Flaxseeds | Bittersweet Chocolate | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 13% | 9% |
Carbohydrates | 21% | 18% |
Fat | 66% | 73% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds contain similar amounts of carbs - bittersweet chocolate has 28.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and flaxseed has 28.9g of carbohydrates.
Both bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds are high in dietary fiber. Flaxseed has 64% more dietary fiber than bittersweet chocolate - bittersweet chocolate has 16.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and flaxseed has 27.3g of dietary fiber.
Bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds contain similar amounts of sugar - bittersweet chocolate has 0.91g of sugar per 100 grams and flaxseed has 1.6g of sugar.
Both bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds are high in protein. Flaxseed has 28% more protein than bittersweet chocolate - bittersweet chocolate has 14.3g of protein per 100 grams and flaxseed has 18.3g of protein.
Bittersweet chocolate is high in saturated fat and flaxseed has 89% less saturated fat than bittersweet chocolate - bittersweet chocolate has 32.3g of saturated fat per 100 grams and flaxseed has 3.7g of saturated fat.
Both bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds are low in cholesterol - bittersweet chocolate has 2mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and flaxseed does not contain significant amounts.
Flaxseeds and bittersweet chocolate contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - flaxseed has 0.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and bittersweet chocolate does not contain significant amounts.
Bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - bittersweet chocolate has 0.4mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and flaxseed has 0.31mg of Vitamin E.
Bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - bittersweet chocolate has 9.7ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and flaxseed has 4.3ug of Vitamin K.
Flaxseed has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate. Both flaxseeds and bittersweet chocolate contain significant amounts of riboflavin.
Flaxseeds | Bittersweet Chocolate | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 1.644 MG | 0.147 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.161 MG | 0.1 MG |
Niacin | 3.08 MG | 1.355 MG |
Pantothenic acid | 0.985 MG | 0.168 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.473 MG | 0.027 MG |
Folate | 87 UG | 28 UG |
Both bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds are high in calcium. Flaxseed has 152% more calcium than bittersweet chocolate - bittersweet chocolate has 101mg of calcium per 100 grams and flaxseed has 255mg of calcium.
Both bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds are high in iron. Bittersweet chocolate has 204% more iron than flaxseed - bittersweet chocolate has 17.4mg of iron per 100 grams and flaxseed has 5.7mg of iron.
Both bittersweet chocolate and flaxseeds are high in potassium. Bittersweet chocolate is very similar to flaxseed for potassium - bittersweet chocolate has 830mg of potassium per 100 grams and flaxseed has 813mg of potassium.
For omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than bittersweet chocolate per 100 grams.
Flaxseeds | Bittersweet Chocolate | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 22.813 G | 0.117 G |
Total | 22.813 G | 0.117 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, flaxseed has more linoleic acid than bittersweet chocolate per 100 grams.
Flaxseeds | Bittersweet Chocolate | |
---|---|---|
other omega 6 | 0.052 G | 0.553 G |
linoleic acid | 5.903 G | 1.435 G |
Total | 5.955 G | 1.988 G |
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: Flaxseeds (Seeds, flaxseed) and Bittersweet Chocolate (Baking chocolate, unsweetened, squares) .
Flaxseeds g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Bittersweet Chocolate g
()
|
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KCAL % |
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5% | calories | 5% |
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KCAL % | |
G % |
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5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
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G % | |
G % |
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5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
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G % | |
G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
G % |
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5% | total fat | 5% |
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G % | |
G % |
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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 % |
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5% | sodium | 5% |
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MG % | |
5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
UG % |
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5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
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MG % | |
IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
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IU % | |
MG % |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
UG % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
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MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
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MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | fluoride | 5% |
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UG % | |
UG % |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
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MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | zinc | 5% |
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MG % | |
G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||