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Quinoa vs. Potato — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are quinoa and potatoes different?

  • Quinoa is higher in manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, and folate; however, potatoes are richer in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and potassium.
  • Daily need coverage for vitamin C for potatoes is 22% higher.
  • Quinoa contains 4 times more zinc than potatoes. While quinoa contains 1.09mg of zinc, potatoes contain only 0.3mg.
  • Quinoa has a lower glycemic index (53) than potatoes (86).

Quinoa, cooked and Potatoes, flesh, and skin, raw are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

Quinoa vs Potato 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
8
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%
Potato
2
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 16% 3.6% 38% 30% 37% 8.2% 24% 0.78% 26% 2.2%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +178.3%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +41.7%
Contains more IronIron +84%
Contains more CopperCopper +74.5%
Contains more ZincZinc +263.3%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +166.7%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +215.5%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +600%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +147.1%
Contains less SodiumSodium -14.3%

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
5
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%
Potato
5
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 66% 0% 0.2% 0% 20% 7.4% 20% 18% 69% 0% 5% 11% 6.6%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +6200%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +32.1%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +243.8%
Contains more FolateFolate +180%
Contains more CholineCholine +90.1%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +157.5%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +142.3%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
~equal in Vitamin A ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Quinoa Potato DV% diff.
Vitamin C 0mg 19.7mg 22%
Manganese 0.631mg 0.2mg 19%
Phosphorus 152mg 57mg 14%
Vitamin B6 0.123mg 0.298mg 13%
Magnesium 64mg 23mg 10%
Iron 1.49mg 0.81mg 9%
Copper 0.192mg 0.11mg 9%
Polyunsaturated fat 1.078g 0.042g 7%
Folate 42µg 15µg 7%
Potassium 172mg 425mg 7%
Zinc 1.09mg 0.3mg 7%
Vitamin B2 0.11mg 0.032mg 6%
Vitamin B5 0.295mg 6%
Protein 4.4g 2.05g 5%
Selenium 2.8µg 0.4µg 4%
Vitamin E 0.63mg 0.01mg 4%
Vitamin B3 0.412mg 1.061mg 4%
Fiber 2.8g 2.1g 3%
Fats 1.92g 0.09g 3%
Choline 23mg 12.1mg 2%
Vitamin K 0µg 2µg 2%
Calories 120kcal 77kcal 2%
Vitamin B1 0.107mg 0.081mg 2%
Starch 17.63g 15.29g 1%
Calcium 17mg 12mg 1%
Carbs 21.3g 17.49g 1%
Saturated fat 0.231g 0.025g 1%
Monounsaturated fat 0.528g 0.002g 1%
Net carbs 18.5g 15.39g N/A
Sugar 0.87g 0.82g N/A
Sodium 7mg 6mg 0%
Tryptophan 0.052mg 0.021mg 0%
Threonine 0.131mg 0.067mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.157mg 0.066mg 0%
Leucine 0.261mg 0.098mg 0%
Lysine 0.239mg 0.107mg 0%
Methionine 0.096mg 0.032mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.185mg 0.081mg 0%
Valine 0.185mg 0.103mg 0%
Histidine 0.127mg 0.035mg 0%
Fructose 0.26g 0%
Omega-3 - DHA 0.015g 0g N/A

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
Potato
2
2% 17% 79%
Protein: 2.05 g
Fats: 0.09 g
Carbs: 17.49 g
Water: 79.25 g
Other: 1.12 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +114.6%
Contains more FatsFats +2033.3%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +21.8%
Contains more WaterWater +10.7%
Contains more OtherOther +45.5%

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
Potato
1
36% 3% 61%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.025 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.002 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.042 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +26300%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +2466.7%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -89.2%

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Quinoa
1
100%
Starch: 17.63 g
Sucrose: 0 g
Glucose: 0 g
Fructose: 0 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0 g
Galactose: 0 g
Potato
3
95% 2%
Starch: 15.29 g
Sucrose: 0.17 g
Glucose: 0.31 g
Fructose: 0.26 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0 g
Galactose: 0 g
Contains more StarchStarch +15.3%
Contains more SucroseSucrose +∞%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
~equal in Lactose ~0g
~equal in Maltose ~0g
~equal in Galactose ~0g

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. Potato - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170026/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.