Crab Meat vs. Spam
Nutrition comparison of Crab Meat and Spam
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
crab meat
versus
spam
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in crab meat and spam:
- Both crab meat and spam are high in potassium and protein.
- Crab meat is an excellent source of calcium.
- Spam has more thiamin, however, crab meat contains more pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12.
- Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Crab Meat (Crustaceans, crab, blue, canned) 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
Spam is high in calories and crab meat has 72% less calories than spam - crab meat has 83 calories per 100 grams and spam has 293 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, crab meat is much heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to spam per calorie. Crab meat has a macronutrient ratio of 92:0:9 and for spam, 17:5:78 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Crab Meat | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 92% | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 5% |
| Fat | 9% | 78% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both spam and crab meat are low in carbohydrates - spam has 3.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and crab meat does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both crab meat and spam are high in protein. Crab meat has 43% more protein than spam - crab meat has 17.9g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Spam is high in saturated fat and crab meat has 98% less saturated fat than spam - crab meat has 0.2g of saturated fat per 100 grams and spam has 8.9g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both crab meat and spam are low in trans fat - crab meat has 0.01g of trans fat per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Crab meat and spam contain similar amounts of cholesterol - crab meat has 97mg 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 12 times more Vitamin C than crab meat - crab meat has 3.3mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and spam has 43mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Crab meat and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - crab meat has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Spam has more Vitamin D than crab meat - spam has 23iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and crab meat does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Crab meat has 667% more Vitamin E than spam - crab meat has 1.8mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and spam has 0.24mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Crab meat and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - crab meat has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Spam has more thiamin, however, crab meat contains more pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12. Both crab meat and spam contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
| Crab Meat | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.264 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.093 MG | 0.179 MG |
| Niacin | 2.747 MG | 3.175 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.997 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.156 MG | 0.283 MG |
| Folate | 51 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 3.33 UG | 0.61 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Crab meat is an excellent source of calcium and it has more calcium than spam - crab meat has 91mg of calcium per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
iron
Crab meat and spam contain similar amounts of iron - crab meat has 0.5mg of iron per 100 grams and spam has 0.64mg of iron.
potassium
Both crab meat and spam are high in potassium. Spam has 118% more potassium than crab meat - crab meat has 259mg 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 crab meat per 100 grams, however, crab meat contains more dha and epa than spam per 100 grams.
| Crab Meat | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.009 G | 0.23 G |
| DHA | 0.067 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.101 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.009 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.186 G | 0.23 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, spam has more linoleic acid than crab meat per 100 grams.
| Crab Meat | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.005 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.02 G | 2.436 G |
| Total | 0.025 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.
Crab Meat 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 crab meat or spam contain more calories in 100 grams?Spam is high in calories and crab meat has 70% less calories than spam - crab meat has 83 calories in 100g and spam has 293 calories.
Is crab meat or spam better for protein?
Both crab meat and spam are high in protein. Crab meat has 40% more protein than spam - crab meat has 17.9g of protein per 100 grams and spam has 12.5g of protein.
Does crab meat or spam contain more calcium?
Crab meat is a rich source of calcium and it has more calcium than spam - crab meat has 91mg of calcium in 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
Does crab meat or spam contain more potassium?
Both crab meat and spam are high in potassium. Spam has 120% more potassium than crab meat - crab meat has 259mg of potassium in 100 grams and spam has 564mg of potassium.