Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
canned tuna
versus
whey protein powder
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in canned tuna and whey protein powder:
Both canned tuna and whey protein powder are high in calories. Whey protein powder has 175% more calories than canned tuna - canned tuna has 128 calories per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, canned tuna is lighter in protein, lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to whey protein powder per calorie. Canned tuna has a macronutrient ratio of 78:0:22 and for whey protein powder, 89:7:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Canned Tuna | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 78% | 89% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 7% |
| Fat | 22% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Canned tuna has less carbohydrates than whey protein powder - whey protein powder has 6.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and canned tuna does not contain significant amounts.
Whey protein powder is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than canned tuna - whey protein powder has 3.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and canned tuna does not contain significant amounts.
Both canned tuna and whey protein powder are high in protein. Whey protein powder has 231% more protein than canned tuna - canned tuna has 23.6g of protein per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 78.1g of protein.
Both canned tuna and whey protein powder are low in saturated fat - canned tuna has 0.79g of saturated fat per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 0.78g of saturated fat.
Canned tuna and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of cholesterol - canned tuna has 42mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 16mg of cholesterol.
Canned tuna has more Vitamin A than whey protein powder - canned tuna has 6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Whey protein powder has more thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12, however, canned tuna contains more niacin and pantothenic acid.
| Canned Tuna | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.008 MG | 0.609 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.044 MG | 2.017 MG |
| Niacin | 5.799 MG | 1.136 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.124 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.217 MG | 0.607 MG |
| Folate | 2 UG | 33 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.17 UG | 2.45 UG |
Whey protein powder is an excellent source of calcium and it has 32 times more calcium than canned tuna - canned tuna has 14mg of calcium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 469mg of calcium.
Canned tuna and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of iron - canned tuna has 0.97mg of iron per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 1.1mg of iron.
Both canned tuna and whey protein powder are high in potassium. Whey protein powder has 111% more potassium than canned tuna - canned tuna has 237mg of potassium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 500mg of potassium.
For omega-3 fatty acids, canned tuna has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA), DHA, EPA and DPA than whey protein powder per 100 grams.
| Canned Tuna | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.071 G | 0.034 G |
| DHA | 0.629 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.233 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.018 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.951 G | 0.034 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, whey protein powder has more linoleic acid than canned tuna per 100 grams.
| Canned Tuna | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.264 G |
| other omega 6 | 0.051 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.106 G | 0.264 G |
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: Canned Tuna (Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, without salt, drained solids) and Whey Protein Powder (Protein powder, whey based, NFS) .
Canned Tuna g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whey Protein Powder g
()
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
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5% | calories | 5% |
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KCAL % | |
| G % |
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5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
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G % | |
| G % |
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5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
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G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
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5% | total fat | 5% |
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G % | |
| G % |
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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 % |
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5% | sodium | 5% |
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MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
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MG % | |
| IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
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IU % | |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
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MG % | |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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MG % | |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
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MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
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| G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
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G % | |
| UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
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| MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
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MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
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MG % | |
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5% | fluoride | 5% |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
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5% | selenium | 5% |
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5% | zinc | 5% |
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MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||