Vanilla Ice Cream vs. Spirulina
Nutrition comparison of Vanilla Ice Cream and Spirulina
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
vanilla ice cream
versus
spirulina
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in vanilla ice cream and spirulina:
- Both vanilla ice cream and spirulina are high in calcium and calories.
- Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, vanilla ice cream contains more Vitamin B12.
- Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than vanilla ice cream.
- Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber, iron, potassium and protein.
- Vanilla ice cream is a great source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both vanilla ice cream and spirulina are high in calories. Spirulina has 40% more calories than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories per 100 grams and spirulina has 290 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, vanilla ice cream is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to spirulina per calorie. Vanilla ice cream has a macronutrient ratio of 7:46:48 and for spirulina, 58:24:18 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 7% | 58% |
| Carbohydrates | 46% | 24% |
| Fat | 48% | 18% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Vanilla ice cream and spirulina contain similar amounts of carbs - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and spirulina has 23.9g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 414% more dietary fiber than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.7g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and spirulina has 3.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Vanilla ice cream is high in sugar and spirulina has 85% less sugar than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 21.2g of sugar per 100 grams and spirulina has 3.1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Spirulina is an excellent source of protein and it has 15 times more protein than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 3.5g of protein per 100 grams and spirulina has 57.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Vanilla ice cream is high in saturated fat and spirulina has 61% less saturated fat than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 6.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and spirulina has 2.7g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Spirulina has less cholesterol than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 44mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Spirulina has signficantly more Vitamin C than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and spirulina has 10.1mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Vanilla ice cream is a great source of Vitamin A and it has 307% more Vitamin A than spirulina - vanilla ice cream has 118ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and spirulina has 29ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Vanilla ice cream has more Vitamin D than spirulina - vanilla ice cream has 8iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and spirulina does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Spirulina has 15 times more Vitamin E than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.3mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and spirulina has 5mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Spirulina has 84 times more Vitamin K than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spirulina has 25.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, vanilla ice cream contains more Vitamin B12.
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.041 MG | 2.38 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.24 MG | 3.67 MG |
| Niacin | 0.116 MG | 12.82 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.581 MG | 3.48 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.048 MG | 0.364 MG |
| Folate | 5 UG | 94 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.39 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Both vanilla ice cream and spirulina are high in calcium. Vanilla ice cream has a little more calcium (7%) than spirulina by weight - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium per 100 grams and spirulina has 120mg of calcium.
iron
Spirulina is an excellent source of iron and it has 315 times more iron than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.09mg of iron per 100 grams and spirulina has 28.5mg of iron.
potassium
Spirulina is an excellent source of potassium and it has 585% more potassium than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 199mg of potassium per 100 grams and spirulina has 1363mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, spirulina has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than vanilla ice cream per 100 grams.
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.175 G | 0.823 G |
| EPA | 0.003 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.178 G | 0.823 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, spirulina has more linoleic acid than vanilla ice cream per 100 grams.
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Spirulina | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.275 G | 1.254 G |
| Total | 0.275 G | 1.254 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.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) .
Vanilla Ice Cream g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Spirulina 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 vanilla ice cream or spirulina contain more calories in 100 grams?Both vanilla ice cream and spirulina are high in calories. Spirulina has 40% more calories than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories in 100g and spirulina has 290 calories.
Is vanilla ice cream or spirulina better for protein?
Spirulina is a fantastic source of protein and it has 15 times more protein than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 3.5g of protein per 100 grams and spirulina has 57.5g of protein.
Does vanilla ice cream or spirulina have more carbohydrates?
By weight, vanilla ice cream and spirulina contain similar amounts of carbs - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of carbs for 100g and spirulina has 23.9g of carbohydrates.
Does vanilla ice cream or spirulina contain more calcium?
Both vanilla ice cream and spirulina are high in calcium. Vanilla ice cream has a little more calcium ( 10%) than spirulina by weight - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium in 100 grams and spirulina has 120mg of calcium.
Does vanilla ice cream or spirulina contain more iron?
Spirulina is an abundant source of iron and it has 315 times more iron than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.09mg of iron in 100 grams and spirulina has 28.5mg of iron.
Does vanilla ice cream or spirulina contain more potassium?
Spirulina is a rich source of potassium and it has 590% more potassium than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 199mg of potassium in 100 grams and spirulina has 1363mg of potassium.