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Human Nutrition Explorer

Compare Foods

Select 2-5 foods to compare their nutrition side by side. All values per 100 g.

Why Comparing Foods Matters

Nutrition labels tell you what's in a single food, but they don't answer the question most people actually have: which food should I choose? Comparing foods side by side reveals differences that single-food labels hide. A banana and an avocado are both fruits, but their nutrient profiles diverge dramatically — one is a potassium-rich energy source, the other a fat-dense vehicle for fat-soluble vitamins. Without comparison, these distinctions stay invisible.

This tool pulls from the USDA FoodData Central database, the gold standard for food composition data. It contains laboratory-analysed nutrient profiles for over 8,000 foods, covering macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre), all 13 essential vitamins, and major minerals including calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and potassium. Every value is standardised to 100 grams, giving you a true apples-to-apples comparison regardless of typical serving size.

The nutrient density radar chart is especially useful for spotting nutritional trade-offs. Each axis represents a different nutrient as a percentage of the Daily Reference Intake. A food that fills more of the radar — a larger polygon — delivers more nutrition per 100 grams. This makes it easy to identify nutrient-dense foods (like liver, kale, or sardines) versus calorie-dense but nutrient-poor options. The complete comparison table below the charts lists every tracked nutrient, colour-coded by how close each food gets to meeting the full daily requirement in a single 100 g serving.

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USDA FoodData Central CC BY 4.0

Food Group Comparison

Which food groups deliver the most of each nutrient? Average values per 100 g across 12 major food groups. Select a nutrient to compare.

Averages computed from USDA FoodData Central across all foods in each group. Values per 100 g edible portion.

How the Food Comparison Tool Works

Select two to five foods from the database of 7,793 items to generate a side-by-side nutrient comparison. The tool produces three complementary views of the data:

  • Macronutrient bar chart — A grouped bar chart showing calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fibre for each selected food. This gives you an instant visual comparison of the energy and macro composition.
  • Nutrient density radar — A spider chart plotting the percentage of Daily Reference Intake across 12 key micronutrients per 100 g. Foods with larger radar areas are more nutrient-dense overall.
  • Complete nutrient table — A detailed table comparing 48 individual nutrients across all selected foods, with the highest value in each row highlighted for quick identification.

All comparisons use values per 100 g of edible portion, which is the international standard for food composition data. This weight-based comparison lets you evaluate nutrient density on equal terms regardless of typical serving sizes.

What Nutrients Are Compared?

The comparison table includes 48 nutrients organized into five categories, going well beyond the standard nutrition label:

  • Macronutrients — Calories, protein, total fat, carbohydrates, dietary fibre, total sugars, water.
  • Vitamins — A (RAE), C, D, E, K1, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, and choline — including sub-forms like beta-carotene and retinol where available.
  • Minerals — Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium.
  • Fatty acids — Saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, trans fats, and the key omega-3s (EPA, DHA, ALA) and omega-6 (linoleic acid).
  • Other — Cholesterol, caffeine, and alcohol for applicable foods.

For curated foods (marked with a blue "Curated" badge in search), even more detailed data is available on their individual food pages, including full amino acid profiles, carotenoid breakdowns, and glycemic response data.

Popular Comparison Ideas

Not sure where to start? Here are some comparisons that reveal interesting nutritional differences:

  • Protein sources: Chicken breast vs. salmon vs. tofu vs. lentils vs. eggs — reveals dramatic differences in fat profiles and micronutrient content beyond protein alone.
  • Leafy greens: Spinach vs. kale vs. Swiss chard vs. collard greens — each has a different mineral profile and vitamin K1 content.
  • Cooking oils: Olive oil vs. coconut oil vs. avocado oil vs. butter — shows the saturated vs. unsaturated fat breakdown and vitamin E content.
  • Calcium sources: Milk vs. yogurt vs. canned sardines vs. tofu vs. kale — dairy is not the only option for meeting calcium needs.
  • Iron-rich foods: Beef liver vs. spinach vs. lentils vs. dark chocolate — demonstrates the difference between heme and non-heme iron sources.

Use the Food Group Comparison section below the main comparison tool to see how entire food groups stack up against each other for any nutrient.

Pre-Built Food Comparisons

Jump straight to a detailed side-by-side nutrient comparison for these commonly searched food pairs.

Chicken Breast vs Salmon Chicken Breast vs Tofu Chicken Breast vs Ground Beef Salmon vs Tuna Salmon vs Tofu Salmon vs Chicken Ground Beef vs Tofu Ground Beef vs Pork Loin Eggs vs Tofu Eggs vs Milk Banana vs Apple Banana vs Orange Avocado vs Banana Orange vs Apple Blueberries vs Strawberries Blueberries vs Banana Broccoli vs Cauliflower Broccoli vs Spinach Spinach vs Kale Spinach vs Broccoli Cabbage vs Kale Carrots vs Sweet Potato Sweet Potato vs Potato Brown Rice vs White Rice Quinoa vs Brown Rice Quinoa vs Oats Oats vs Brown Rice Lentils vs Chickpeas Lentils vs Quinoa Tofu vs Lentils Almonds vs Walnuts Almonds vs Peanuts Peanuts vs Almonds Olive Oil vs Coconut Oil Cheddar Cheese vs Butter Whole Milk vs Greek Yogurt Yogurt vs Greek Yogurt

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are all values shown per 100 grams?

Per-100-gram values are the international standard for food composition databases, used by the USDA, WHO, FAO, and food scientists worldwide. This standard allows direct comparison of nutrient density between any two foods, regardless of typical serving size. If you want to compare based on how much you actually eat, check individual food pages which also show per-serving values.

What does the radar chart show?

The radar chart plots each food's content for 12 key micronutrients as a percentage of the adult Daily Reference Intake (DRI) per 100 g. Each axis represents one nutrient, and the plotted area shows how nutrient-dense that food is. A larger area means the food covers more of your daily nutrient needs per 100 g. This is particularly useful for identifying foods that are strong across multiple nutrients versus those that excel in just one.

Can I share my comparison with others?

Yes. Once you select foods, the URL updates automatically with your comparison encoded in the parameters. Copy the URL from your browser's address bar and share it — anyone opening that link will see the same food comparison. You can also use the Share button to copy a direct link or generate an embed code.

How is the Food Group Comparison calculated?

The Food Group Comparison takes the arithmetic mean of each nutrient across all foods classified under a USDA food group. For example, the "Vegetables" average is the mean of all vegetable entries in the database per 100 g. This gives a broad overview of which food groups are richest in each nutrient, though individual foods within a group can vary significantly from the group average.