Cornmeal vs. Wheat Flour
Nutrition comparison of Cornmeal and Wheat Flour
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cornmeal
versus
wheat flour
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cornmeal and wheat flour:
- Both cornmeal and wheat flour are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron and protein.
- Cornmeal is an excellent source of potassium.
- Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate, however, cornmeal contains more Vitamin B6.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cornmeal (Cornmeal, yellow (Navajo)) and Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both cornmeal and wheat flour are high in calories. Cornmeal has a little more calories (6%) than wheat flour by weight - cornmeal has 384 calories per 100 grams and wheat flour has 361 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cornmeal is lighter in protein, lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to wheat flour per calorie. Cornmeal has a macronutrient ratio of 10:76:14 and for wheat flour, 14:82:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cornmeal | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 10% | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 76% | 82% |
| Fat | 14% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cornmeal and wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. Cornmeal is very similar to wheat flour for carbohydrates - cornmeal has 72.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and wheat flour has 72.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both cornmeal and wheat flour are high in dietary fiber. Cornmeal has 292% more dietary fiber than wheat flour - cornmeal has 9.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Cornmeal and wheat flour contain similar amounts of sugar - cornmeal has 1.6g of sugar per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Both cornmeal and wheat flour are high in protein. Wheat flour has 22% more protein than cornmeal - cornmeal has 9.9g of protein per 100 grams and wheat flour has 12g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cornmeal and wheat flour contain similar amounts of saturated fat - cornmeal has 1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Wheat flour and cornmeal contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - wheat flour has 0.6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cornmeal does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Cornmeal and wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cornmeal has 0.37mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cornmeal and wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cornmeal has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Wheat flour has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate, however, cornmeal contains more Vitamin B6. Both cornmeal and wheat flour contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid.
| Cornmeal | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.3 MG | 0.812 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.093 MG | 0.512 MG |
| Niacin | 2.47 MG | 7.554 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.595 MG | 0.438 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.59 MG | 0.037 MG |
| Folate | 34 UG | 183 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Wheat flour has 150% more calcium than cornmeal - cornmeal has 6mg of calcium per 100 grams and wheat flour has 15mg of calcium.
iron
Both cornmeal and wheat flour are high in iron. Wheat flour has 47% more iron than cornmeal - cornmeal has 3mg of iron per 100 grams and wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron.
potassium
Cornmeal is an excellent source of potassium and it has 222% more potassium than wheat flour - cornmeal has 322mg of potassium per 100 grams and wheat flour has 100mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both cornmeal and wheat flour contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Cornmeal | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.06 G | 0.043 G |
| Total | 0.06 G | 0.043 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, cornmeal has more linoleic acid than wheat flour per 100 grams.
| Cornmeal | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.033 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 2.292 G | 0.685 G |
| Total | 2.325 G | 0.685 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: Cornmeal (Cornmeal, yellow (Navajo)) and Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) .
Cornmeal g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Wheat Flour 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 cornmeal or wheat flour contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cornmeal and wheat flour are high in calories. Cornmeal has a little more calories ( 10%) than wheat flour by weight - cornmeal has 384 calories in 100g and wheat flour has 361 calories.
Does cornmeal or wheat flour have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both cornmeal and wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. cornmeal is very similar to wheat flour for carbohydrates - cornmeal has 72.9g of carbs for 100g and wheat flour has 72.5g of carbohydrates.
Does cornmeal or wheat flour contain more iron?
Both cornmeal and wheat flour are high in iron. Wheat flour has 50% more iron than cornmeal - cornmeal has 3mg of iron in 100 grams and wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron.
Does cornmeal or wheat flour contain more potassium?
Cornmeal is a rich source of potassium and it has 220% more potassium than wheat flour - cornmeal has 322mg of potassium in 100 grams and wheat flour has 100mg of potassium.