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Quinoa vs. Lentil — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the differences between quinoa and lentil?

  • Quinoa is higher in magnesium and manganese, yet lentil is higher in folate, iron, fiber, copper, potassium, and vitamin B1.
  • Lentil's daily need coverage for folate is 35% more.
  • Quinoa has 2 times more magnesium than lentil. While quinoa has 64mg of magnesium, lentil has only 36mg.
  • The glycemic index of lentil is lower.

We used Quinoa, cooked and Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt types in this article.

Infographic

Quinoa vs Lentil infographic
Infographic link

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.
Quinoa
2
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 46% 5.1% 15% 56% 64% 30% 65% 0.91% 82% 15%
Lentil
7
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 26% 5.7% 33% 125% 84% 35% 77% 0.26% 64% 15%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +77.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +27.7%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +11.8%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +114.5%
Contains more IronIron +123.5%
Contains more CopperCopper +30.7%
Contains more ZincZinc +16.5%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +18.4%
Contains less SodiumSodium -71.4%
~equal in Selenium ~2.8µg

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.
Quinoa
2
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 0% 13% 0% 27% 25% 7.7% 0% 28% 0% 0% 32% 13%
Lentil
8
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 5% 0% 2.2% 0% 42% 17% 20% 38% 41% 0% 4.3% 136% 18%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +472.7%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +50.7%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +57.9%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +157.3%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +44.7%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +331%
Contains more CholineCholine +42.2%
~equal in Vitamin A ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Quinoa
3
4% 2% 21% 72%
Protein: 4.4 g
Fats: 1.92 g
Carbs: 21.3 g
Water: 71.61 g
Other: 0.77 g
Lentil
2
9% 20% 70%
Protein: 9.02 g
Fats: 0.38 g
Carbs: 20.13 g
Water: 69.64 g
Other: 0.83 g
Contains more FatsFats +405.3%
Contains more ProteinProtein +105%
~equal in Carbs ~20.13g
~equal in Water ~69.64g
~equal in Other ~0.83g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Quinoa
2
13% 29% 59%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.231 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.528 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.078 g
Lentil
1
18% 22% 60%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.053 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.064 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.175 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +725%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +516%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -77.1%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Quinoa Lentil
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in price ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Saturated fat ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Rich in minerals ok
Rich in vitamins ok
Lower in Cholesterol Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Quinoa Lentil DV% diff.
Folate 42µg 181µg 35%
Iron 1.49mg 3.33mg 23%
Fiber 2.8g 7.9g 20%
Vitamin B5 0.638mg 13%
Protein 4.4g 9.02g 9%
Starch 17.63g 7%
Copper 0.192mg 0.251mg 7%
Magnesium 64mg 36mg 7%
Polyunsaturated fat 1.078g 0.175g 6%
Manganese 0.631mg 0.494mg 6%
Potassium 172mg 369mg 6%
Vitamin B1 0.107mg 0.169mg 5%
Vitamin B3 0.412mg 1.06mg 4%
Phosphorus 152mg 180mg 4%
Vitamin B6 0.123mg 0.178mg 4%
Vitamin E 0.63mg 0.11mg 3%
Vitamin B2 0.11mg 0.073mg 3%
Zinc 1.09mg 1.27mg 2%
Vitamin C 0mg 1.5mg 2%
Fats 1.92g 0.38g 2%
Choline 23mg 32.7mg 2%
Monounsaturated fat 0.528g 0.064g 1%
Vitamin K 0µg 1.7µg 1%
Saturated fat 0.231g 0.053g 1%
Calories 120kcal 116kcal 0%
Carbs 21.3g 20.13g 0%
Net carbs 18.5g 12.23g N/A
Calcium 17mg 19mg 0%
Sugar 0.87g 1.8g N/A
Sodium 7mg 2mg 0%
Selenium 2.8µg 2.8µg 0%
Tryptophan 0.052mg 0.081mg 0%
Threonine 0.131mg 0.323mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.157mg 0.39mg 0%
Leucine 0.261mg 0.654mg 0%
Lysine 0.239mg 0.63mg 0%
Methionine 0.096mg 0.077mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.185mg 0.445mg 0%
Valine 0.185mg 0.448mg 0%
Histidine 0.127mg 0.254mg 0%
Omega-3 - DHA 0.015g 0g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Quinoa Lentil
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
11%
Quinoa
25%
Lentil
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
38%
Quinoa
46%
Lentil

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Quinoa
Quinoa is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.93g)
Which food is cheaper?
Quinoa
Quinoa is cheaper (difference - $1.1)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Lentil
Lentil contains less Sodium (difference - 5mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Lentil
Lentil is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 0.178g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Lentil
Lentil is lower in glycemic index (difference - 24)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Lentil
Lentil is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Lentil
Lentil is relatively richer in vitamins
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Quinoa - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168917/nutrients
  2. Lentil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172421/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.