White Bread vs. Wheat Flour
Nutrition comparison of White Bread and Wheat Flour
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
white bread
versus
wheat flour
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in white bread and wheat flour:
- Both white bread and wheat flour are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron and protein.
- Wheat flour has 15.1 times less sugar than white bread.
- Wheat flour has more riboflavin.
- White bread is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: White Bread (Bread, white wheat) and Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both white bread and wheat flour are high in calories. Wheat flour has 52% more calories than white bread - white bread has 238 calories per 100 grams and wheat flour has 361 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, white bread is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to wheat flour per calorie. White bread has a macronutrient ratio of 18:74:8 and for wheat flour, 14:82:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| White Bread | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 18% | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 74% | 82% |
| Fat | 8% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both white bread and wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. Wheat flour has 65% more carbohydrates than white bread - white bread has 43.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and wheat flour has 72.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both white bread and wheat flour are high in dietary fiber. White bread has 283% more dietary fiber than wheat flour - white bread has 9.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and wheat flour has 2.4g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Wheat flour has 15.1 times less sugar than white bread - white bread has 5g of sugar per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.31g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Both white bread and wheat flour are high in protein. White bread is very similar to white bread for protein - white bread has 10.7g of protein per 100 grams and wheat flour has 12g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both white bread and wheat flour are low in saturated fat - white bread has 0.63g of saturated fat per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.24g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both white bread and wheat flour are low in trans fat - white bread has 0.03g of trans fat per 100 grams and wheat flour does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Wheat flour and white bread contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - wheat flour has 0.6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and white bread does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
White bread and wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - white bread has 0.38mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.4mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
White bread and wheat flour contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - white bread has 7.7ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and wheat flour has 0.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Wheat flour has more riboflavin. Both white bread and wheat flour contain significant amounts of thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| White Bread | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.51 MG | 0.812 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.255 MG | 0.512 MG |
| Niacin | 4.455 MG | 7.554 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.455 MG | 0.438 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.08 MG | 0.037 MG |
| Folate | 127 UG | 183 UG |
Minerals
calcium
White bread is an excellent source of calcium and it has 44 times more calcium than wheat flour - white bread has 684mg of calcium per 100 grams and wheat flour has 15mg of calcium.
iron
Both white bread and wheat flour are high in iron. White bread has 11% more iron than wheat flour - white bread has 4.9mg of iron per 100 grams and wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron.
potassium
White bread and wheat flour contain similar amounts of potassium - white bread has 127mg of potassium per 100 grams and wheat flour has 100mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, both white bread and wheat flour contain small amounts of beta-carotene.
| White Bread | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 2 UG | 1 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 25 UG | 79 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both white bread and wheat flour contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| White Bread | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.083 G | 0.043 G |
| EPA | 0.003 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.086 G | 0.043 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both white bread and wheat flour contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| White Bread | Wheat Flour | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.002 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.879 G | 0.685 G |
| Total | 0.881 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: White Bread (Bread, white wheat) and Wheat Flour (Wheat flour, white, bread, enriched) .
White Bread 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 white bread or wheat flour contain more calories in 100 grams?Both white bread and wheat flour are high in calories. Wheat flour has 50% more calories than white bread - white bread has 238 calories in 100g and wheat flour has 361 calories.
Does white bread or wheat flour have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both white bread and wheat flour are high in carbohydrates. wheat flour has 70% more carbohydrates than white bread - white bread has 43.9g of carbs for 100g and wheat flour has 72.5g of carbohydrates.
Does white bread or wheat flour contain more calcium?
White bread is a rich source of calcium and it has 44 times more calcium than wheat flour - white bread has 684mg of calcium in 100 grams and wheat flour has 15mg of calcium.
Does white bread or wheat flour contain more iron?
Both white bread and wheat flour are high in iron. White bread has 10% more iron than wheat flour - white bread has 4.9mg of iron in 100 grams and wheat flour has 4.4mg of iron.