Cheese vs. Spam
Nutrition comparison of Cheese and Spam
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cheese
versus
spam
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and spam:
- Both cheese and spam are high in calories, protein and saturated fat.
- Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and calcium.
- Spam has more thiamin, niacin and Vitamin B6, however, cheese contains more pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12.
- Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C and potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) 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 cheese and spam are high in calories. Cheese has 31% more calories than spam - cheese has 384 calories per 100 grams and spam has 293 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheese is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to spam for fat. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for spam, 17:5:78 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cheese | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25% | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 5% |
| Fat | 75% | 78% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cheese and spam are low in carbohydrates - cheese has 0.13g of total carbs per 100 grams and spam has 3.4g of carbohydrates.
Protein
protein
Both cheese and spam are high in protein. Cheese has 88% more protein than spam - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cheese and spam are high in saturated fat. Cheese has 81% more saturated fat than spam - cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and spam has 8.9g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Cheese and spam contain similar amounts of cholesterol - cheese has 95mg 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 cheese - spam has 43mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than spam - cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Cheese and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and spam has 23iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Cheese and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and spam has 0.24mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cheese and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Spam has more thiamin, niacin and Vitamin B6, however, cheese contains more pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12. Both cheese and spam contain significant amounts of riboflavin.
| Cheese | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.264 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.318 MG | 0.179 MG |
| Niacin | 0.114 MG | 3.175 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.249 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.061 MG | 0.283 MG |
| Folate | 13 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.23 UG | 0.61 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and it has more calcium than spam - cheese has 659mg of calcium per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
iron
Cheese and spam contain similar amounts of iron - cheese has 0.59mg of iron per 100 grams and spam has 0.64mg of iron.
potassium
Spam is an excellent source of potassium and it has 564% more potassium than cheese - cheese has 85mg of potassium per 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both cheese and spam contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Cheese | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.332 G | 0.23 G |
| Total | 0.332 G | 0.23 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, spam has more linoleic acid than cheese per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.532 G | 2.436 G |
| Total | 0.532 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.
Cheese 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 cheese or spam contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cheese and spam are high in calories. Cheese has 30% more calories than spam - cheese has 384 calories in 100g and spam has 293 calories.
Does cheese or spam contain more calcium?
Cheese is a rich source of calcium and it has more calcium than spam - cheese has 659mg of calcium in 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
Does cheese or spam contain more potassium?
Spam is a rich source of potassium and it has 560% more potassium than cheese - cheese has 85mg of potassium in 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.