Chicken vs. Spam
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Chicken and Spam
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
chicken
versus
spam
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in chicken and spam:
- Both chicken and spam are high in calories, potassium and protein.
- Spam has more thiamin, however, chicken contains more niacin and pantothenic acid.
- Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) 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 chicken and spam are high in calories. Spam has 55% more calories than chicken - chicken has 189 calories per 100 grams and spam has 293 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, chicken is much heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to spam per calorie. Chicken has a macronutrient ratio of 49:0:52 and for spam, 17:5:78 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Chicken | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 49% | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 5% |
| Fat | 52% | 78% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both spam and chicken are low in carbohydrates - spam has 3.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both chicken and spam are high in protein. Chicken has 86% more protein than spam - chicken has 23.3g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Spam is high in saturated fat and chicken has 65% less saturated fat than spam - chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and spam has 8.9g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both chicken and spam are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Spam has 29% less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg 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 chicken - spam has 43mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Spam has more Vitamin D than chicken - spam has 23iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Chicken and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and spam has 0.24mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Chicken and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Spam has more thiamin, however, chicken contains more niacin and pantothenic acid. Both chicken and spam contain significant amounts of riboflavin, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12.
| Chicken | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.121 MG | 0.264 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.302 MG | 0.179 MG |
| Niacin | 7.107 MG | 3.175 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 1.327 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.538 MG | 0.283 MG |
| Folate | 2 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.51 UG | 0.61 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Chicken has more calcium than spam - chicken has 8mg of calcium per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
iron
Chicken and spam contain similar amounts of iron - chicken has 0.93mg of iron per 100 grams and spam has 0.64mg of iron.
potassium
Both chicken and spam are high in potassium. Chicken has 20% more potassium than spam - chicken has 677mg 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 chicken per 100 grams, however, chicken contains more dha and dpa than spam per 100 grams.
| Chicken | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.1 G | 0.23 G |
| DHA | 0.031 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.008 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.016 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.155 G | 0.23 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both chicken and spam contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Chicken | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.02 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.818 G | 2.436 G |
| Total | 1.838 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 Chicken 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 chicken or spam contain more calories in 100 grams?Both chicken and spam are high in calories. Spam has 60% more calories than chicken - chicken has 189 calories in 100g and spam has 293 calories.
Is chicken or spam better for protein?
Both chicken and spam are high in protein. Chicken has 90% more protein than spam - chicken has 23.3g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.
Does chicken or spam contain more potassium?
Both chicken and spam are high in potassium. Chicken has 20% more potassium than spam - chicken has 677mg of potassium in 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.