Macaroni or noodles with cheese: restaurant vs whole grain USDA FDC 2708812 vs 2708824
Per 100 g, restaurant reports 1.1 g dietary fiber, while whole grain reports 2.2 g dietary fiber.
The comparison uses two cited USDA records. Their complete source names, household portions, nutrient values, and FoodData Central links remain visible below.
Record A · FDC 2708812
Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant
Check this record in FoodData Central ↗Record B · FDC 2708824
Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain
Check this record in FoodData Central ↗Highlighted difference
Calories at the same 100-gram weight
Bar length shows the two cited values on one shared denominator. It does not rank either food or establish why they differ.
-
151 kcal -
219 kcal
Shared basis: 100 g · kcal
Equal-weight evidence
Nutrition per 100 grams
Both columns use the same mass, which compares nutrient concentration without allowing the two representative source amounts to change the denominator. “A +” or “B +” reports the arithmetic difference between the cited values; it is not a quality score.
On smaller screens, focus a comparison table and scroll horizontally to read every column.
| Nutrient | A · Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from… | B · Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| CaloriesMaterial difference | 151 kcal | 219 kcal | B +68 kcal |
| ProteinMaterial difference | 5.4 g | 8.8 g | B +3.3 g |
| Total fatMaterial difference | 6.1 g | 10.9 g | B +4.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 18.8 g | 22.7 g | B +3.9 g |
| Dietary fiberMaterial difference | 1.1 g | 2.2 g | B +1.1 g |
| Total sugars | 3.1 g | 2.5 g | A +0.6 g |
| Sodium | 361 mg | 360 mg | A +1 mg |
| Saturated fatMaterial difference | 2.2 g | 5.2 g | B +3 g |
| Potassium | 135 mg | 128 mg | A +7 mg |
| Calcium | 99 mg | 173 mg | B +74 mg |
| Iron | 0.7 mg | 1.3 mg | B +0.6 mg |
Values come from the two cited USDA FoodData Central Survey Foods records. Feast does not average records, impute missing values, or infer a nutrient from the food name.
Read the table by question
Every material primary-nutrient difference on this page is numerically higher in B (4 of 4).
These answers describe concentration per 100 grams. “More” and “less” identify the arithmetic direction only; they do not decide which record is a better match or which food is better for a person.
Which reports fewer calories?
Record A
Record A reports 151 kcal, compared with 219 kcal in the other record—a difference of 68 kcal.
Which reports more protein?
Record B
Record B reports 8.8 g, compared with 5.4 g in the other record—a difference of 3.3 g.
Which reports more fiber?
Record B
Record B reports 2.2 g, compared with 1.1 g in the other record—a difference of 1.1 g.
Which reports less sodium?
Record B
Record B reports 360 mg, compared with 361 mg in the other record—a difference of 1 mg.
What differs in the source descriptions
The exact names carry information the numbers cannot.
USDA assigns both records to “Macaroni and cheese,” but the topic label is broad. Record A is “Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant.” Record B is “Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain.” Feast paired them because their contrast-neutral food identities are an exact match, not merely because they share a generic category.
The controlled name parser found 2 interpretable distinctions. These labels organize wording already present in the names; they do not establish that a distinction caused a nutrient difference.
| Description dimension | Record A | Record B |
|---|---|---|
| Source context | restaurant or fast food | No matching controlled term in the source name |
| Grain wording | No matching controlled term in the source name | whole-grain or whole-wheat wording |
Even a clean name contrast can carry hidden companions. A fried record may also include coating; a restaurant record can use a different recipe; a reduced-sodium description can differ in more than salt; and a source amount can reflect a different reporting convention. That is why this page reports the complete pair rather than treating one word as an intervention.
Portion context
A representative source amount is not a shared “serving.”
Record A uses USDA reference amount at 230 g. Record B uses USDA reference amount at 230 g. Those labels and gram weights come from their respective records. They are useful for scaling the chosen profile, but they are not recommendations and need not describe equal amounts.
The representative amounts do not cross Feast’s material portion-difference threshold of both 15 grams and 20%. They are still separate source measures, so the 100-gram table remains the appropriate place for an equal-weight comparison.
A cup, piece, slice, sandwich, fillet, or fluid ounce can have different gram weights across records. A matching label is not enough: check the listed grams. If accuracy matters more than convenience, weighing the food or using a current package label can be more specific than a generic survey-food measure.
Record A measures
- 1 cup230 g
- USDA reference amount230 g
Record B measures
- 1 cup230 g
- USDA reference amount230 g
One shared household label
1 cup: 230 g in A vs 230 g in B
Here the household label and listed gram weight match at displayed precision, so this particular table is also an equal-mass comparison. The values remain specific to these two source records, not a universal weight for every 1 cup.
| Nutrient | A · 230 g | B · 230 g |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 347 kcal | 504 kcal |
| Protein | 12.5 g | 20.2 g |
| Dietary fiber | 2.5 g | 5.1 g |
| Sodium | 830 mg | 828 mg |
USDA source formulation evidence
The listed inputs provide another way to audit the match.
FNDDS includes input-food rows behind each standardized survey-food record. Record A’s leading listed inputs include Restaurant, family style, macaroni & cheese, from kids' menu. Record B’s include Pasta, whole-wheat, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Milk, NFS, Cheese, cheddar, Bread, crumbs, dry, grated, plain. Ingredient-code overlap is 0%, and normalized listed-input-weight variation is 100%.
Record A · 1 coded input
Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant
- Restaurant, family style, macaroni & cheese, from kids' menuIngredient code 36017100% of listed input weight
Record B · 7 coded inputs
Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain
- Pasta, whole-wheat, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)Ingredient code 20125 · open source index43.4% of listed input weight
- Milk, NFSIngredient code 11100000 · open source index30.2% of listed input weight
- Cheese, cheddarIngredient code 1009 · open source index14% of listed input weight
- Bread, crumbs, dry, grated, plainIngredient code 18079 · open source index6.7% of listed input weight
- Table fat, NFSIngredient code 81100000 · open source index4.3% of listed input weight
- Flour, wheat, all-purpose, enriched, bleachedIngredient code 20081 · open source index1% of listed input weight
- Salt, tableIngredient code 2047 · open source index0.4% of listed input weight
0 shared coded inputs
The two listed formulations do not share an ingredient code in this source extract. Shared codes can still carry different listed weights.
1 A-only and 7 B-only coded inputs
A-only entries include Restaurant, family style, macaroni & cheese, from kids' menu. B-only entries include Pasta, whole-wheat, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Milk, NFS, Cheese, cheddar, Bread, crumbs, dry, grated, plain.
Important: repeated rows carrying the same ingredient code are combined before the shares and overlap are calculated. These weights belong to USDA’s source formulation: they are not a reconstructed plate, final cooked yield, visitor serving, ingredient declaration, or estimate of what is visible in a photo. USDA’s FNDDS documentation explains that these calculation recipes can represent multiple variants, may include retention or moisture adjustments, and are not product-label ingredient lists.
- NFS means “not further specified.” The record intentionally leaves the exact subtype, size, or preparation unresolved.
Choosing the closer record
Match context first; scale second.
- 01
Read both names literally
Compare cooking method, coating, edible skin or peel, sauce, additions, venue, source form, and food subtype. For this pair, the full A and B descriptions above are the evidence—not shortened search labels.
- 02
Use listed inputs as a check
If the name still leaves ambiguity, compare the leading and unique source inputs. They can reveal that two near names refer to meaningfully different standardized formulations, but they do not reconstruct your dish.
- 03
Choose an amount for that record
After choosing A or B, use its own named measure and gram weight. Do not transfer a cup, slice, or “typical amount” from the other record as if the measures were interchangeable.
- 04
Account for missing details
Brand, current restaurant recipe, cooking oil, drained weight, toppings, substitutions, and unfinished portions may not be captured. A label or weighed recipe can supersede a generic reference when it better matches the actual food.
Limits and responsible interpretation
This is a comparison of records, not a causal study.
The two records come from 2021–2023 FoodData Central Survey Foods data. The nutrient table faithfully compares their published values on the same weight basis. It does not measure two plates prepared at the same time, isolate one ingredient, or estimate the uncertainty around either value.
For this pair, the source names differ across 2 documented description dimensions, while the listed formulations show 0% ingredient-code overlap and 100% normalized listed-weight variation. Moisture, ingredient proportions, preparation, and record construction can therefore move together. The page can describe the combined record difference; it cannot isolate the effect of one word.
A higher or lower number is not an overall verdict. Protein, fiber, sodium, energy, fat, micronutrients, preferences, allergies, budget, portion, and an individual’s goals answer different questions. Feast therefore reports directions and magnitudes without applying a universal “healthier” label.
This page is educational and does not diagnose a condition, prescribe a target, or replace advice from a qualified professional. For an allergy, medically directed diet, or strict ingredient limit, use verified ingredient information and guidance appropriate to that situation.
How this page qualified
A page is published only when the pair clears materiality and diversity gates.
Both records must occupy the same USDA survey-food topic and share a close food identity after a controlled vocabulary separates preparation, edible-part, source, claim, crust, and sauce wording. Exact contrast-neutral identities receive priority. Close ingredient or form substitutions can qualify when name overlap remains high and the numerical evidence is material.
For primary nutrients, Feast requires both an absolute and relative difference: at least 20 kcal and 12% for energy; 2 g and 18% for protein or fat; 5 g and 15% for carbohydrate; 1 g and 20% for fiber; 4 g and 20% for sugars; or 100 mg and 20% for sodium. A focused one-nutrient pair also needs a material representative-amount or formulation distinction. Rounding-only pairs are not published.
Unordered FDC IDs define a canonical pair, so reversing A and B cannot create another page. Each source record can appear twice at most, each USDA topic contributes no more than 40 pages, and closely repeated identity families are capped. Those rules produced a selective comparison library rather than every mathematical combination in the corpus.
Read the complete nutrition-page methodology for import, nutrient mapping, portion scaling, Daily Value, and uncertainty rules.
Decision support from the exact records on this page
Turn source data into a better next decision
These conclusions and reading paths are computed from 2 exact records behind Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant versus Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain. Links are chosen by record identity, controlled contrast, formulation input, nutrient spread, or serving context—not by loose keyword similarity.
Equal-weight result
Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain is higher in calories per 100 g
Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain reports 219 kcal versus 151 kcal for Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant: a 68 kcal difference when both are normalized to 100 g.
Inspect the underlying evidenceThese listed servings have equal weights
2 listed servings each weigh 230 g
The 2 records with a listed serving weight on this page each use 230 g. Their serving totals therefore compare equal weights, even if the household labels differ. Match the preparation and adjust the weight to the amount you eat.
Record identity is part of the estimate
Distinguish “Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant” from “Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain”
These are separate USDA records with separate formulations or survey descriptions. Match preparation, additions, and the named household amount before borrowing either record’s nutrients.
Inspect the underlying evidenceContextual knowledge graph
Follow the relationship that matches your question
For Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant versus Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain, each path states why the destination belongs here, so you can distinguish a true evidentiary connection from a merely similar label.
Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant and Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain are explicitly linked in this guide, which separates direct name matches from contextual variants.
Follow this evidence path Put the observed spread in corpus context Calories: density and serving contextIn this page’s records, calories runs from 151 kcal in Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant to 219 kcal in Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain, all per 100 g.
Follow this evidence path Test a nearby record choice Macaroni or noodles with cheese, canned vs Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grainMacaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain is held as one side of the comparison. The explicit record-description contrast is Source form: canned versus No matching controlled term in the source name; it is a selection cue, not evidence of cause.
Follow this evidence path Test a nearby record choice Macaroni or noodles with cheese, canned vs Macaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurantMacaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant is held as one side of the comparison. The explicit record-description contrast is Source form: canned versus No matching controlled term in the source name; it is a selection cue, not evidence of cause.
Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Bread, crumbs, dry, grated, plainUSDA input 18079 appears in 1 of 2 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 108–108 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.
Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Cheese, cheddarUSDA input 1009 appears in 1 of 2 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 226–226 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.
Follow this evidence path 2 context records in this source topic Macaroni and cheeseMacaroni or noodles with cheese, from restaurant and Macaroni or noodles with cheese, whole grain belong to this USDA source-category collection. Its displayed ranges and complete exact-record catalog provide the peer set for a manual comparison; the destination does not preselect this page’s record.
Follow this evidence path