Cheese vs. Turkey
Nutrition comparison of Cheese and Cooked Turkey
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cheese
versus
cooked
turkey
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and turkey:
- Both cheese and turkey are high in calories and protein.
- Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and calcium.
- Turkey has more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Turkey is a great source of potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Turkey (Turkey, whole, meat and skin, cooked, roasted) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both cheese and turkey are high in calories. Cheese has 103% more calories than turkey - cheese has 384 calories per 100 grams and turkey has 189 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheese is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to turkey for carbs. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for turkey, 63:0:37 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cheese | Turkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25% | 63% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 75% | 37% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cheese and turkey are low in carbohydrates - cheese has 0.13g of total carbs per 100 grams and turkey has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
Protein
protein
Both cheese and turkey are high in protein. Turkey has 21% more protein than cheese - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and turkey has 28.6g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cheese is high in saturated fat and turkey has 87% less saturated fat than cheese - cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and turkey has 2.2g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both turkey and cheese are low in trans fat - turkey has 0.1g of trans fat per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Cheese and turkey contain similar amounts of cholesterol - cheese has 95mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and turkey has 109mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 13 times more Vitamin A than turkey - cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and turkey has 12ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Cheese and turkey contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and turkey has 15iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Cheese and turkey contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and turkey has 0.07mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cheese and turkey contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and turkey does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Turkey has more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both cheese and turkey contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate and Vitamin B12.
| Cheese | Turkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.045 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.318 MG | 0.281 MG |
| Niacin | 0.114 MG | 9.573 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.249 MG | 0.948 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.061 MG | 0.616 MG |
| Folate | 13 UG | 9 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.23 UG | 1.02 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and it has 46 times more calcium than turkey - cheese has 659mg of calcium per 100 grams and turkey has 14mg of calcium.
iron
Turkey has 85% more iron than cheese - cheese has 0.59mg of iron per 100 grams and turkey has 1.1mg of iron.
potassium
Turkey is a great source of potassium and it has 181% more potassium than cheese - cheese has 85mg of potassium per 100 grams and turkey has 239mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than turkey per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Turkey | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.332 G | 0.108 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.005 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.008 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.008 G |
| Total | 0.332 G | 0.129 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, turkey has more linoleic acid than cheese per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Turkey | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.532 G | 1.873 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.532 G | 1.883 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.
Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Turkey 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 cheese or turkey contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cheese and turkey are high in calories. Cheese has 100% more calories than turkey - cheese has 384 calories in 100g and turkey has 189 calories.
Is cheese or turkey better for protein?
Both cheese and turkey are high in protein. Turkey has 20% more protein than cheese - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and turkey has 28.6g of protein.
Does cheese or turkey contain more calcium?
Cheese is a rich source of calcium and it has 46 times more calcium than turkey - cheese has 659mg of calcium in 100 grams and turkey has 14mg of calcium.