Flour vs. Chia Seeds
Nutrition comparison of Flour and Chia Seeds
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
flour
versus
chia seeds
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in flour and chia seeds:
- Both flour and chia seeds are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber and protein.
- Chia seed has more thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, however, flour contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Chia seed is an excellent source of calcium, iron and potassium.
- Flour has 20.4 times less saturated fat than chia seed.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Flour (Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, unenriched) and Chia Seeds (Seeds, chia seeds, dried) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both flour and chia seeds are high in calories. Chia seed has 34% more calories than flour - flour has 364 calories per 100 grams and chia seed has 486 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, flour is much heavier in carbs, much lighter in fat and similar to chia seeds for protein. Flour has a macronutrient ratio of 12:86:2 and for chia seeds, 13:33:54 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Flour | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 12% | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 33% |
| Fat | 2% | 54% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both flour and chia seeds are high in carbohydrates. Flour has 81% more carbohydrates than chia seed - flour has 76.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and chia seed has 42.1g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both flour and chia seeds are high in dietary fiber. Chia seed has 11 times more dietary fiber than flour - flour has 2.7g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chia seed has 34.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Flour and chia seeds contain similar amounts of sugar - flour has 0.27g of sugar per 100 grams and chia seed does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both flour and chia seeds are high in protein. Chia seed has 60% more protein than flour - flour has 10.3g of protein per 100 grams and chia seed has 16.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Flour has 20.4 times less saturated fat than chia seed - flour has 0.16g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chia seed has 3.3g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both chia seeds and flour are low in trans fat - chia seed has 0.14g of trans fat per 100 grams and flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Chia seed has more Vitamin C than flour - chia seed has 1.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Chia seed has more Vitamin A than flour - chia seed has 16.2ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Flour and chia seeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - flour has 0.06mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chia seed has 0.5mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Flour and chia seeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chia seed does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Chia seed has more thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, however, flour contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both flour and chia seeds contain significant amounts of folate.
| Flour | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.12 MG | 0.62 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.04 MG | 0.17 MG |
| Niacin | 1.25 MG | 8.83 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.438 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.044 MG | ~ |
| Folate | 26 UG | 49 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Chia seed is an excellent source of calcium and it has 41 times more calcium than flour - flour has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and chia seed has 631mg of calcium.
iron
Chia seed is an excellent source of iron and it has 560% more iron than flour - flour has 1.2mg of iron per 100 grams and chia seed has 7.7mg of iron.
potassium
Chia seed is an excellent source of potassium and it has 280% more potassium than flour - flour has 107mg of potassium per 100 grams and chia seed has 407mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, chia seed has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than flour per 100 grams.
| Flour | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.022 G | 17.83 G |
| Total | 0.022 G | 17.83 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chia seed has more linoleic acid than flour per 100 grams.
| Flour | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.391 G | 5.835 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.093 G |
| Total | 0.391 G | 5.928 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: Flour (Wheat flour, white, all-purpose, unenriched) and Chia Seeds (Seeds, chia seeds, dried) .
Flour g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Chia Seeds 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 flour or chia seeds contain more calories in 100 grams?Both flour and chia seeds are high in calories. Chia seed has 30% more calories than flour - flour has 364 calories in 100g and chia seed has 486 calories.
Does flour or chia seeds have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both flour and chia seeds are high in carbohydrates. flour has 80% more carbohydrates than chia seed - flour has 76.3g of carbs for 100g and chia seed has 42.1g of carbohydrates.
Does flour or chia seeds contain more calcium?
Chia seed is a rich source of calcium and it has 41 times more calcium than flour - flour has 15mg of calcium in 100 grams and chia seed has 631mg of calcium.
Does flour or chia seeds contain more iron?
Chia seed is an abundant source of iron and it has 560% more iron than flour - flour has 1.2mg of iron in 100 grams and chia seed has 7.7mg of iron.
Does flour or chia seeds contain more potassium?
Chia seed is a rich source of potassium and it has 280% more potassium than flour - flour has 107mg of potassium in 100 grams and chia seed has 407mg of potassium.