Ham vs. Spam
Nutrition comparison of Ham and Spam
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
ham
versus
spam
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in ham and spam:
- Both spam and ham are high in calories, potassium, protein and saturated fat.
- Ham has more thiamin and pantothenic acid, however, spam contains more folate.
- Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Ham (Ham, minced) 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 spam and ham are high in calories. Spam has 11% more calories than ham - spam has 293 calories per 100 grams and ham has 263 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, ham is heavier in protein, lighter in fat and similar to spam for carbs. Ham has a macronutrient ratio of 25:3:72 and for spam, 17:5:78 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Ham | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25% | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | 3% | 5% |
| Fat | 72% | 78% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both spam and ham are low in carbohydrates - spam has 3.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and ham has 1.8g of carbohydrates.
Protein
protein
Both spam and ham are high in protein. Ham has 30% more protein than spam - spam has 12.5g of protein per 100 grams and ham has 16.3g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both spam and ham are high in saturated fat. Spam has 24% more saturated fat than ham - spam has 8.9g of saturated fat per 100 grams and ham has 7.2g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Spam and ham contain similar amounts of cholesterol - spam has 76mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and ham has 70mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has more Vitamin C than ham - spam has 43mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and ham does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Spam and ham contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - spam has 23iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and ham has 26iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Spam and ham contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - spam has 0.24mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and ham has 0.27mg of Vitamin E.
The B Vitamins
Ham has more thiamin and pantothenic acid, however, spam contains more folate. Both ham and spam contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
| Ham | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.712 MG | 0.264 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.19 MG | 0.179 MG |
| Niacin | 4.162 MG | 3.175 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.18 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.26 MG | 0.283 MG |
| Folate | 1 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.95 UG | 0.61 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Ham has more calcium than spam - ham has 10mg of calcium per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
iron
Spam and ham contain similar amounts of iron - spam has 0.64mg of iron per 100 grams and ham has 0.79mg of iron.
potassium
Both spam and ham are high in potassium. Spam has 81% more potassium than ham - spam has 564mg of potassium per 100 grams and ham has 311mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both ham and spam contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Ham | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.31 G | 0.23 G |
| Total | 0.31 G | 0.23 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both ham and spam contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Ham | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 2.16 G | 2.436 G |
| Total | 2.16 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.
Ham 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 spam or ham contain more calories in 100 grams?Both spam and ham are high in calories. Spam has 10% more calories than ham - spam has 293 calories in 100g and ham has 263 calories.
Does spam or ham contain more potassium?
Both spam and ham are high in potassium. Spam has 80% more potassium than ham - spam has 564mg of potassium in 100 grams and ham has 311mg of potassium.