Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
whole wheat bread
versus
chicken leg
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in whole wheat bread and chicken leg:
Both whole wheat bread and chicken leg are high in calories. Whole wheat bread has 24% more calories than chicken leg - whole wheat bread has 265 calories per 100 grams and chicken leg has 214 calories.
| Whole Wheat Bread | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 20% | 31% |
| Carbohydrates | 65% | ~ |
| Fat | 14% | 69% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Whole wheat bread is high in carbohydrates and chicken leg has 100% less carbohydrates than whole wheat bread - whole wheat bread has 43.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and chicken leg has 0.17g of carbohydrates.
Whole wheat bread is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than chicken leg - whole wheat bread has 7.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and chicken leg does not contain significant amounts.
Chicken leg has less sugar than whole wheat bread - whole wheat bread has 6.4g of sugar per 100 grams and chicken leg does not contain significant amounts.
Both whole wheat bread and chicken leg are high in protein. Chicken leg has 23% more protein than whole wheat bread - whole wheat bread has 13.4g of protein per 100 grams and chicken leg has 16.4g of protein.
Whole wheat bread has 4 times less saturated fat than chicken leg - whole wheat bread has 0.87g of saturated fat per 100 grams and chicken leg has 4.4g of saturated fat.
Both chicken leg and whole wheat bread are low in trans fat - chicken leg has 0.06g of trans fat per 100 grams and whole wheat bread does not contain significant amounts.
Whole wheat bread has less cholesterol than chicken leg - chicken leg has 93mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and whole wheat bread does not contain significant amounts.
Whole wheat bread and chicken leg contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - whole wheat bread has 0.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and chicken leg has 0.2mg of Vitamin C.
Chicken leg has more Vitamin A than whole wheat bread - chicken leg has 28ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and whole wheat bread does not contain significant amounts.
Chicken leg and whole wheat bread contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - chicken leg has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and whole wheat bread does not contain significant amounts.
Whole wheat bread and chicken leg contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - whole wheat bread has 0.37mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and chicken leg has 0.22mg of Vitamin E.
Whole wheat bread and chicken leg contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - whole wheat bread has 1.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and chicken leg has 2.3ug of Vitamin K.
Whole wheat bread has more thiamin and folate, however, chicken leg contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12. Both whole wheat bread and chicken leg contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
| Whole Wheat Bread | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.279 MG | 0.073 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.131 MG | 0.141 MG |
| Niacin | 4.042 MG | 4.733 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.336 MG | 0.994 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.263 MG | 0.318 MG |
| Folate | 75 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | ~ | 0.56 UG |
Whole wheat bread is an excellent source of calcium and it has 10 times more calcium than chicken leg - whole wheat bread has 103mg of calcium per 100 grams and chicken leg has 9mg of calcium.
Whole wheat bread is a great source of iron and it has 262% more iron than chicken leg - whole wheat bread has 2.5mg of iron per 100 grams and chicken leg has 0.69mg of iron.
Both whole wheat bread and chicken leg are high in potassium. Whole wheat bread has 13% more potassium than chicken leg - whole wheat bread has 230mg of potassium per 100 grams and chicken leg has 203mg of potassium.
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 whole wheat bread and chicken leg contain significant amounts of lutein + zeaxanthin.
| Whole Wheat Bread | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 1 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 94 UG | 91 UG |
For omega-3 fatty acids, chicken leg has more DPA than whole wheat bread per 100 grams. Both whole wheat bread and chicken leg contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Whole Wheat Bread | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.205 G | 0.155 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.004 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.012 G |
| Total | 0.205 G | 0.181 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both whole wheat bread and chicken leg contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Whole Wheat Bread | Chicken Leg | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.016 G |
| linoleic acid | 1.667 G | 2.987 G |
| Total | 1.667 G | 3.003 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: Whole Wheat Bread (Bread, multi-grain (includes whole-grain)) and Chicken Leg (Chicken, broilers or fryers, leg, meat and skin, raw) .
Whole Wheat Bread g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Chicken Leg 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 | |||