Salmon vs. Spam
Nutrition comparison of Salmon and Spam
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
salmon
versus
spam
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in salmon and spam:
- Both spam and salmon are high in calories, potassium and protein.
- Salmon is an excellent source of Vitamin D.
- Spam has more thiamin, however, salmon contains more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
- Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Salmon (Fish, salmon, pink, raw) 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 salmon are high in calories. Spam has 131% more calories than salmon - spam has 293 calories per 100 grams and salmon has 127 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, salmon is much heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and much lighter in fat compared to spam per calorie. Salmon has a macronutrient ratio of 67:0:33 and for spam, 17:5:78 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Salmon | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 67% | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 5% |
| Fat | 33% | 78% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both spam and salmon are low in carbohydrates - spam has 3.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and salmon does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both spam and salmon are high in protein. Salmon has 64% more protein than spam - spam has 12.5g of protein per 100 grams and salmon has 20.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Spam is high in saturated fat and salmon has 91% less saturated fat than spam - spam has 8.9g of saturated fat per 100 grams and salmon has 0.81g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both salmon and spam are low in trans fat - salmon has 0.03g of trans fat per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Salmon has 39% less cholesterol than spam - spam has 76mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and salmon has 46mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Spam is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has more Vitamin C than salmon - spam has 43mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and salmon does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Salmon has more Vitamin A than spam - salmon has 35ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Salmon is an excellent source of Vitamin D and it has 17 times more Vitamin D than spam - spam has 23iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and salmon has 435iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Spam and salmon contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - spam has 0.24mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and salmon has 0.4mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Salmon and spam contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - salmon has 0.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Spam has more thiamin, however, salmon contains more niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. Both salmon and spam contain significant amounts of riboflavin and folate.
| Salmon | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.08 MG | 0.264 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.105 MG | 0.179 MG |
| Niacin | 7.995 MG | 3.175 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 1.03 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.611 MG | 0.283 MG |
| Folate | 4 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 4.15 UG | 0.61 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Salmon has more calcium than spam - salmon has 7mg of calcium per 100 grams and spam does not contain significant amounts.
iron
Spam and salmon contain similar amounts of iron - spam has 0.64mg of iron per 100 grams and salmon has 0.38mg of iron.
potassium
Both spam and salmon are high in potassium. Spam has 54% more potassium than salmon - spam has 564mg of potassium per 100 grams and salmon has 366mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, spam has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than salmon per 100 grams, however, salmon contains more dha, epa and dpa than spam per 100 grams.
| Salmon | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.047 G | 0.23 G |
| DHA | 0.333 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.182 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.047 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.609 G | 0.23 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, spam has more linoleic acid than salmon per 100 grams.
| Salmon | Spam | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.004 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.081 G | 2.436 G |
| Total | 0.085 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.
Salmon 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 salmon contain more calories in 100 grams?Both spam and salmon are high in calories. Spam has 130% more calories than salmon - spam has 293 calories in 100g and salmon has 127 calories.
Is spam or salmon better for protein?
Both spam and salmon are high in protein. Salmon has 60% more protein than spam - spam has 12.5g of protein per 100 grams and salmon has 20.5g of protein.
Does spam or salmon contain more potassium?
Both spam and salmon are high in potassium. Spam has 50% more potassium than salmon - spam has 564mg of potassium in 100 grams and salmon has 366mg of potassium.