Beef vs. Spam
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Beef and Spam
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
beef
versus
spam
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in beef and spam:
- Both beef and spam are high in calories, potassium, protein and saturated fat.
- Beef has signficantly more calcium than spam.
- Beef is a great source of iron.
- Spam has more thiamin, however, beef contains more pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12.
- Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Spam (Luncheon meat, pork, ham, and chicken, minced, canned, reduced sodium, added ascorbic acid, includes SPAM, 25% less sodium) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both beef and spam are high in calories. Beef is very similar to beef for calories - beef has 277 calories per 100 grams and spam has 293 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, beef is much heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and lighter in fat compared to spam per calorie. Beef has a macronutrient ratio of 38:0:62 and for spam, 17:5:78 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Beef | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 38% | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 5% |
| Fat | 62% | 78% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both spam and beef are low in carbohydrates - spam has 3.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both beef and spam are high in protein. Beef has 103% more protein than spam - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both beef and spam are high in saturated fat. Spam has 21% more saturated fat than beef - beef has 7.3g of saturated fat per 100 grams and spam has 8.9g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Spam has less trans fat than beef - beef has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Beef and spam contain similar amounts of cholesterol - beef has 88mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spam has 76mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has more Vitamin C than beef - spam has 43mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Beef and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - beef has 3ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Spam has 10 times more Vitamin D than beef - beef has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and spam has 23iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Beef and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - beef has 0.12mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and spam has 0.24mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Beef and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - beef has 3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Spam has more thiamin, however, beef contains more pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12. Both beef and spam contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
| Beef | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.051 MG | 0.264 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.176 MG | 0.179 MG |
| Niacin | 4.537 MG | 3.175 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.658 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.336 MG | 0.283 MG |
| Folate | 11 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.9 UG | 0.61 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Beef has signficantly more calcium than spam - beef has 35mg of calcium per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
iron
Beef is a great source of iron and it has 252% more iron than spam - beef has 2.3mg of iron per 100 grams and spam has 0.64mg of iron.
potassium
Both beef and spam are high in potassium. Spam has 105% more potassium than beef - beef has 275mg of potassium per 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, spam has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than beef per 100 grams.
| Beef | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.056 G | 0.23 G |
| Total | 0.056 G | 0.23 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, spam has more linoleic acid than beef per 100 grams.
| Beef | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.012 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.39 G | 2.436 G |
| Total | 0.402 G | 2.436 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.
Cooked Beef g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Spam 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 beef or spam contain more calories in 100 grams?Both beef and spam are high in calories. Beef is quite similar to beef for calories - beef has 277 calories in 100g and spam has 293 calories.
Is beef or spam better for protein?
Both beef and spam are high in protein. Beef has 100% more protein than spam - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.
Does beef or spam contain more potassium?
Both beef and spam are high in potassium. Spam has 110% more potassium than beef - beef has 275mg of potassium in 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.