Chicken vs. Spirulina

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Chicken and Spirulina


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of cooked chicken versus spirulina (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in chicken and spirulina:

  • Both spirulina and chicken are high in calories, potassium and protein.
  • Chicken has signficantly less carbohydrates than spirulina.
  • Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and folate, however, chicken contains more Vitamin B12.
  • Spirulina has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken.
  • Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than chicken.
  • Spirulina is an excellent source of calcium, dietary fiber and iron.
Detailed nutritional comparison of chicken and spirulina is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Chicken src
Image of Spirulina src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both spirulina and chicken are high in calories. Spirulina has 53% more calories than chicken - spirulina has 290 calories per 100 grams and chicken has 189 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, chicken is lighter in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to spirulina per calorie. Chicken has a macronutrient ratio of 49:0:51 and for spirulina, 58:24:18 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Chicken Spirulina
Protein 49% 58%
Carbohydrates ~ 24%
Fat 51% 18%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Chicken has signficantly less carbohydrates than spirulina - spirulina has 23.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

dietary fiber

Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than chicken - spirulina has 3.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Chicken has less sugar than spirulina - spirulina has 3.1g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Both spirulina and chicken are high in protein. Spirulina has 147% more protein than chicken - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Spirulina and chicken contain similar amounts of saturated fat - spirulina has 2.7g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken has 3.1g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both chicken and spirulina are low in trans fat - chicken has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Spirulina has signficantly less cholesterol than chicken - chicken has 107mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than chicken - spirulina has 10.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Spirulina has more Vitamin A than chicken - spirulina has 29ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and chicken does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Spirulina has 11 times more Vitamin E than chicken - spirulina has 5mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken has 0.39mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Spirulina has 11 times more Vitamin K than chicken - spirulina has 25.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken has 2.1ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and folate, however, chicken contains more Vitamin B12. Both chicken and spirulina contain significant amounts of niacin and Vitamin B6.

Chicken Spirulina
Thiamin 0.121 MG 2.38 MG
Riboflavin 0.302 MG 3.67 MG
Niacin 7.107 MG 12.82 MG
Pantothenic acid 1.327 MG 3.48 MG
Vitamin B6 0.538 MG 0.364 MG
Folate 2 UG 94 UG
Vitamin B12 0.51 UG ~

Minerals

calcium

Spirulina is an excellent source of calcium and it has 14 times more calcium than chicken - spirulina has 120mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.

iron

Spirulina is an excellent source of iron and it has 29 times more iron than chicken - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.

potassium

Both spirulina and chicken are high in potassium. Spirulina has 101% more potassium than chicken - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, spirulina has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chicken per 100 grams, however, chicken contains more dha and dpa than spirulina per 100 grams.

Chicken Spirulina
alpha linoleic acid 0.1 G 0.823 G
DHA 0.031 G ~
EPA 0.008 G ~
DPA 0.016 G ~
Total 0.155 G 0.823 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both chicken and spirulina contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Chicken Spirulina
other omega 6 0.02 G ~
linoleic acid 1.818 G 1.254 G
Total 1.838 G 1.254 G



Customize your serving size


The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).

You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Chicken or Spirulina .

Note: The specific food items compared are: Chicken (Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) .

Cooked Chicken g

()
Daily Values (%)

Spirulina g

()
KCAL %
calories
KCAL %
G %
carbohydrates
G %
G %
dietary fiber
G %
G sugar G
G %
total fat
G %
G %
saturated fat
G %
G monounsaturated fat G
G polyunsaturated fat G
G trans fat G
MG cholesterol MG
MG %
sodium
MG %
Vitamins and Minerals
UG %
Vitamin A
UG %
MG %
Vitamin C
MG %
IU %
Vitamin D
IU %
MG %
calcium
MG %
MG %
iron
MG %
MG %
magnesium
MG %
MG %
potassium
MG %
MG %
thiamin (Vit B1)
MG %
MG %
riboflavin (Vit B2)
MG %
MG %
niacin (Vit B3)
MG %
MG %
Vitamin B6
MG %
MG %
pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
MG %
UG %
folate (Vit B9)
UG %
UG %
Vitamin B12
UG %
MG %
Vitamin E
MG %
UG %
Vitamin K
UG %
G %
protein
G %
UG %
biotin (Vit B7)
UG %
MG %
choline
MG %
MG %
chlorine
MG %
UG %
chromium
UG %
MG %
copper
MG %
UG %
fluoride
UG %
UG %
iodine
UG %
MG %
manganese
MG %
UG %
molybdenum
UG %
MG %
phosphorus
MG %
UG %
selenium
UG %
MG %
zinc
MG %
G Water G
G Starch G
G Alcohol G


FAQ

Does spirulina or chicken contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both spirulina and chicken are high in calories. Spirulina has 50% more calories than chicken - spirulina has 290 calories in 100g and chicken has 189 calories.

Is spirulina or chicken better for protein?
Both spirulina and chicken are high in protein. Spirulina has 150% more protein than chicken - spirulina has 57.5g of protein per 100 grams and chicken has 23.3g of protein.

Does spirulina or chicken contain more calcium?
Spirulina is a rich source of calcium and it has 14 times more calcium than chicken - spirulina has 120mg of calcium in 100 grams and chicken has 8mg of calcium.

Does spirulina or chicken contain more iron?
Spirulina is an abundant source of iron and it has 29 times more iron than chicken - spirulina has 28.5mg of iron in 100 grams and chicken has 0.93mg of iron.

Does spirulina or chicken contain more potassium?
Both spirulina and chicken are high in potassium. Spirulina has 100% more potassium than chicken - spirulina has 1363mg of potassium in 100 grams and chicken has 677mg of potassium.