Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
hemp seeds
versus
whey protein powder
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in hemp seeds and whey protein powder:
Both hemp seeds and whey protein powder are high in calories. Hemp seed has 57% more calories than whey protein powder - hemp seed has 553 calories per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, hemp seeds is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to whey protein powder for carbs. Hemp seeds has a macronutrient ratio of 21:6:73 and for whey protein powder, 89:7:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Hemp Seeds | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 21% | 89% |
| Carbohydrates | 6% | 7% |
| Fat | 73% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Hemp seeds and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of carbs - hemp seed has 8.7g of total carbs per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 6.3g of carbohydrates.
Both hemp seeds and whey protein powder are high in dietary fiber. Hemp seed has 29% more dietary fiber than whey protein powder - hemp seed has 4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 3.1g of dietary fiber.
Whey protein powder has less sugar than hemp seed - hemp seed has 1.5g of sugar per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Both hemp seeds and whey protein powder are high in protein. Whey protein powder has 148% more protein than hemp seed - hemp seed has 31.6g of protein per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 78.1g of protein.
Whey protein powder has signficantly less saturated fat than hemp seed - hemp seed has 4.6g of saturated fat per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 0.78g of saturated fat.
Hemp seed has less cholesterol than whey protein powder - whey protein powder has 16mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and hemp seed does not contain significant amounts.
Hemp seeds and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - hemp seed has 0.5mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Hemp seeds and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - hemp seed has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Hemp seed has more Vitamin E than whey protein powder - hemp seed has 0.8mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Hemp seed has more thiamin, niacin and folate, however, whey protein powder contains more riboflavin and Vitamin B12. Both hemp seeds and whey protein powder contain significant amounts of Vitamin B6.
| Hemp Seeds | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 1.275 MG | 0.609 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.285 MG | 2.017 MG |
| Niacin | 9.2 MG | 1.136 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.6 MG | 0.607 MG |
| Folate | 110 UG | 33 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | ~ | 2.45 UG |
Both hemp seeds and whey protein powder are high in calcium. Whey protein powder has 570% more calcium than hemp seed - hemp seed has 70mg of calcium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 469mg of calcium.
Hemp seed is an excellent source of iron and it has 604% more iron than whey protein powder - hemp seed has 8mg of iron per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 1.1mg of iron.
Both hemp seeds and whey protein powder are high in potassium. Hemp seed has 140% more potassium than whey protein powder - hemp seed has 1200mg of potassium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 500mg of potassium.
For omega-3 fatty acids, hemp seed has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than whey protein powder per 100 grams.
| Hemp Seeds | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 10.024 G | 0.034 G |
| Total | 10.024 G | 0.034 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, hemp seed has more linoleic acid than whey protein powder per 100 grams.
| Hemp Seeds | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 1.34 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 27.459 G | 0.264 G |
| Total | 28.799 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: Hemp Seeds (Seeds, hemp seed, hulled) and Whey Protein Powder (Protein powder, whey based, NFS) .
Hemp Seeds g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whey Protein Powder 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 % |
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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 | |||