Buckwheat vs. Millet — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Calories

Compared to buckwheat, millet has more calories per hundred grams. A hundred grams of millet provides 119 calories, whereas buckwheat has 92 calories. One serving of millet (1 cup or 174g ) provides 207 kcal, whereas one serving of buckwheat (1 cup or 168g) has 155 kcal.

Protein

Compared to buckwheat, millet is slightly higher in protein. A hundred grams of millet provides 3.51g of protein, whereas buckwheat has 3.38g. Both contain all essential amino acids. Millet provides more isoleucine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, and valine. In contrast, buckwheat is high in tryptophan, threonine, lysine, and histidine.

Millet and buckwheat are gluten-free (1, 2).

Fats

Millet and buckwheat have small amounts of fat. In a 100g serving, millet and buckwheat contain 1g and 0.62g of fat, respectively. Buckwheat provides slightly more monounsaturated fat, whereas millet has more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fat.

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Buckwheat

2

Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.134 g

Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.188 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.188 g

Millet

1

Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.172 g

Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.184 g

Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.508 g

Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat

-22.1%

Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat

+170.2%

~equal in Monounsaturated fat ~0.184g

Carbohydrates

Millet and buckwheat are high in carbohydrates, millet being higher. In a 100g serving, millet and buckwheat contain 23.67g and 19.94g of carbs, respectively. In addition, millet is high in net carbs, whereas buckwheat has high fiber content. In a 100g serving, millet and buckwheat contain 22.37g and 17.24g of net carbs, respectively. The dietary fiber content for millet and buckwheat is 1.3g and 2.7g, respectively.

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison

Buckwheat

3

Starch: 0 g

Sucrose: 0.4 g

Glucose: 0.2 g

Fructose: 0.1 g

Lactose: 0 g

Maltose: 0 g

Galactose: 0 g

Millet

0

Contains more SucroseSucrose	+∞%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose	+∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose	+∞%

~equal in Starch ~

~equal in Lactose ~

~equal in Maltose ~

~equal in Galactose ~

Vitamins

Millet provides more vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), and folate. Millet also contains small amounts of vitamin A (3IU), whereas buckwheat lacks vitamin A. Buckwheat has over two times more vitamin B5, six times more vitamin K, and 4.5 times more vitamin E. Neither contain vitamin C or vitamin D.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Buckwheat

4

100 g 300 g 1 cup - 168g

Millet

5

100 g 300 g 1 cup - 174g

Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+350%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+109.9%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+533.3%
Contains more CholineCholine	+79.5%

Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+165%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+110.3%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+41.5%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+40.3%
Contains more FolateFolate	+35.7%

~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

~equal in Vitamin A ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Minerals

Millet has more phosphorus, zinc, and copper. On the other hand, buckwheat is high in magnesium, potassium, calcium, choline, selenium, iron, and manganese. Moreover, millet has two times less sodium. A hundred grams of millet has 2 mg of sodium, whereas buckwheat provides 4 mg.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Buckwheat

6

100 g 300 g 1 cup - 168g

Millet

4

100 g 300 g 1 cup - 174g

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+15.9%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+133.3%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+41.9%
Contains more IronIron	+27%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+48.2%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+144.4%

Contains more CopperCopper	+10.3%
Contains more ZincZinc	+49.2%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+42.9%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-50%

Oxalate content

Compared to millet, buckwheat has over ten times more oxalate content. The oxalate value of millet is 13mg, whereas buckwheat has an oxalate level of 133mg.

Cholesterol

Millet and buckwheat are cholesterol-free.

Glycemic Index

Millet has a glycemic index of 71±10. The glycemic index of buckwheat is 51±10. That shows that millet is high-GI food, whereas buckwheat is low-GI food.

You can access our extensive glycemic index chart that contains information on over 600 foods.

Acidity

The PRAL value indicates the food's capacity to degrade into bases or acids within the body. Millet has a PRAL level of 2.9, whereas the PRAL value of buckwheat is 1. Both are acidic, millet being more acid-forming.

Cardiovascular Health

Buckwheat consumption may reduce some CVD risk factors (3).

Based on findings, consuming buckwheat is linked to statistically substantially reduced amounts of triglycerides and total cholesterol compared to control arms. Nevertheless, neither HDL nor LDL cholesterol was significantly affected by buckwheat consumption (4).

Consuming millet is linked to several health benefits, such as controlling blood pressure and protection against cardiovascular and cancer diseases (5).

Foxtail and proso millet may prevent cardiovascular disease by lowering plasma triglycerides in hyperlipidemic rats (6).

Buckwheat contains antioxidants, particularly rutin. Rutin's therapeutic and biological activities include increased blood vessel elasticity, effectiveness against circulatory problems, atherosclerosis, antioxidant properties, antiinflammation, antihypertension, vasoconstrictive, spasmolytic, cholesterol reduction, and protection against oxidative stress (7).

Diabetes

Based on the findings, buckwheat consumption may enhance insulin resistance and lipid profile in DM type 2 patients.

Furthermore, subgroup studies on the daily dosage of buckwheat consumption revealed decreased insulin, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. When buckwheat intake surpasses 110 g per day, symptoms of insulin resistance occur (8).

In addition to being abundant in nutrients, finger millet includes a variety of bioactive substances such as polyphenols, flavonoids, phytic acid, and dietary fiber. Polyphenols have anti-oxidant and anti-diabetic properties. Phytic acid may inhibit carbohydrate digestibility and control post-prandial glucose levels and obesity (9).

Digestive System

According to the study, various millet bio-actives efficiently regulated pathogenic gut flora, such as Shigella and Clostridium histolyticum, lowering gut inflammation (9).

Buckwheat flavonoids have hepatoprotective properties. They may lower serum aspartate transaminase activity at the molecular level (7).

As buckwheat and millet are gluten-free, people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities may consume them.

Cancer

Millets include dietary fibers, plant protease inhibitors, and bioactive peptides that might cause apoptosis, stop cell proliferation, and interact with the gut microbiota to potentially have anti-cancer effects (5).

The results show that buckwheat hull has anti-cancer properties against some types of cancer cells. Hexane and ethyl acetate fractions found in buckwheat have inhibitory effects against MCF-7 cells in vitro (10).