Wheat Flour vs. Chia Seeds
Nutrition comparison of Wheat Flour and Chia Seeds
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
wheat flour
versus
chia seeds
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in wheat flour and chia seeds:
- Both wheat flour and chia seeds are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron and protein.
- Chia seed is an excellent source of calcium and potassium.
- Wheat flour has 12.6 times less saturated fat than chia seed.
- Wheat flour has more riboflavin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Chia Seeds (Seeds, chia seeds, dried) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both wheat flour and chia seeds are high in calories. Chia seed has 35% more calories than wheat flour - wheat flour has 361 calories per 100 grams and chia seed has 486 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, wheat flour is much heavier in carbs, much lighter in fat and similar to chia seeds for protein. Wheat flour has a macronutrient ratio of 14:82:4 and for chia seeds, 13:33:54 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Wheat Flour | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 82% | 33% |
| Fat | 4% | 54% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both wheat flour and chia seeds are high in carbohydrates. Wheat flour has 72% more carbohydrates than chia seed - wheat flour has 72.5g of total carbs per 100 grams and chia seed has 42.1g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both wheat flour and chia seeds are high in dietary fiber. Chia seed has 13 times more dietary fiber than wheat flour - wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chia seed has 34.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Wheat flour and chia seeds contain similar amounts of sugar - wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar per 100 grams and chia seed does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both wheat flour and chia seeds are high in protein. Chia seed has 38% more protein than wheat flour - wheat flour has 12g of protein per 100 grams and chia seed has 16.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Wheat flour has 12.6 times less saturated fat than chia seed - wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chia seed has 3.3g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both chia seeds and wheat flour are low in trans fat - chia seed has 0.14g of trans fat per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Chia seed has more Vitamin C than wheat flour - chia seed has 1.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Chia seed has more Vitamin A than wheat flour - chia seed has 16.2ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Wheat flour and chia seeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chia seed has 0.5mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Wheat flour and chia seeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chia seed does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Wheat flour has more riboflavin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate. Both wheat flour and chia seeds contain significant amounts of thiamin and niacin.
| Wheat Flour | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.812 MG | 0.62 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.512 MG | 0.17 MG |
| Niacin | 7.554 MG | 8.83 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.438 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.037 MG | ~ |
| Folate | 183 UG | 49 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Chia seed is an excellent source of calcium and it has 41 times more calcium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 15mg of calcium per 100 grams and chia seed has 631mg of calcium.
iron
Both wheat flour and chia seeds are high in iron. Chia seed has 75% more iron than wheat flour - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron per 100 grams and chia seed has 7.7mg of iron.
potassium
Chia seed is an excellent source of potassium and it has 307% more potassium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 100mg of potassium per 100 grams and chia seed has 407mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, chia seed has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than wheat flour per 100 grams.
| Wheat Flour | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.043 G | 17.83 G |
| Total | 0.043 G | 17.83 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chia seed has more linoleic acid than wheat flour per 100 grams.
| Wheat Flour | Chia Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.685 G | 5.835 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.093 G |
| Total | 0.685 G | 5.928 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 Wheat Flour or Chia Seeds .
Note: The specific food items compared are: Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) and Chia Seeds (Seeds, chia seeds, dried) .
Wheat Flour g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Chia Seeds 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 wheat flour or chia seeds contain more calories in 100 grams?Both wheat flour and chia seeds are high in calories. Chia seed has 40% more calories than wheat flour - wheat flour has 361 calories in 100g and chia seed has 486 calories.
Does wheat flour or chia seeds have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both wheat flour and chia seeds are high in carbohydrates. wheat flour has 70% more carbohydrates than chia seed - wheat flour has 72.5g of carbs for 100g and chia seed has 42.1g of carbohydrates.
Does wheat flour or chia seeds contain more calcium?
Chia seed is a rich source of calcium and it has 41 times more calcium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 15mg of calcium in 100 grams and chia seed has 631mg of calcium.
Does wheat flour or chia seeds contain more iron?
Both wheat flour and chia seeds are high in iron. Chia seed has 80% more iron than wheat flour - wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron in 100 grams and chia seed has 7.7mg of iron.
Does wheat flour or chia seeds contain more potassium?
Chia seed is a rich source of potassium and it has 310% more potassium than wheat flour - wheat flour has 100mg of potassium in 100 grams and chia seed has 407mg of potassium.