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Quinoa vs. Wheat — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the main differences between quinoa and wheat?

  • Quinoa is richer in folate, vitamin B2, and polyunsaturated fat, while wheat is higher in selenium, manganese, vitamin B3, zinc, and fiber.
  • Wheat's daily need coverage for selenium is 53% higher.
  • Wheat has 4 times less polyunsaturated fat than quinoa. Quinoa has 1.078g of polyunsaturated fat, while wheat has 0.243g.
  • Quinoa is lower in sugar.

We used Quinoa, cooked and Wheat, KAMUT khorasan, cooked types in this comparison.

Infographic

Quinoa vs Wheat 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
Quinoa
3
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%
Wheat
Wheat
4
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 34% 2.7% 14% 66% 69% 50% 63% 1% 134% 174%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +33.3%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +88.9%
Contains less SodiumSodium -12.5%
Contains more IronIron +18.1%
Contains more ZincZinc +68.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +63.2%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +1039.3%
~equal in Potassium ~164mg
~equal in Copper ~0.207mg
~equal in Phosphorus ~147mg

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
Quinoa
6
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%
Wheat
Wheat
1
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% 4.8% 0% 24% 6.9% 43% 0% 16% 0% 0% 8.3% 0%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +162.5%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +12.6%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +266.7%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +75.7%
Contains more FolateFolate +281.8%
Contains more CholineCholine +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +459.5%
~equal in Vitamin C ~mg
~equal in Vitamin A ~µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Vitamin B5 ~mg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin K ~µg

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Quinoa Wheat DV% diff.
Selenium 2.8µg 31.9µg 53%
Manganese 0.631mg 1.03mg 17%
Vitamin B3 0.412mg 2.305mg 12%
Folate 42µg 11µg 8%
Starch 17.63g 7%
Zinc 1.09mg 1.84mg 7%
Vitamin B2 0.11mg 0.03mg 6%
Fiber 2.8g 4.3g 6%
Polyunsaturated fat 1.078g 0.243g 6%
Choline 23mg 4%
Magnesium 64mg 48mg 4%
Vitamin B6 0.123mg 0.07mg 4%
Iron 1.49mg 1.76mg 3%
Vitamin E 0.63mg 0.24mg 3%
Protein 4.4g 5.71g 3%
Copper 0.192mg 0.207mg 2%
Carbs 21.3g 27.6g 2%
Fats 1.92g 0.83g 2%
Saturated fat 0.231g 0.077g 1%
Monounsaturated fat 0.528g 0.084g 1%
Calories 120kcal 132kcal 1%
Vitamin B1 0.107mg 0.095mg 1%
Phosphorus 152mg 147mg 1%
Calcium 17mg 9mg 1%
Net carbs 18.5g 23.3g N/A
Potassium 172mg 164mg 0%
Sugar 0.87g 3.07g N/A
Sodium 7mg 8mg 0%
Trans fat 0.002g N/A
Tryptophan 0.052mg 0.051mg 0%
Threonine 0.131mg 0.172mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.157mg 0.22mg 0%
Leucine 0.261mg 0.432mg 0%
Lysine 0.239mg 0.161mg 0%
Methionine 0.096mg 0.097mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.185mg 0.3mg 0%
Valine 0.185mg 0.267mg 0%
Histidine 0.127mg 0.147mg 0%
Omega-3 - DHA 0.015g N/A

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Quinoa
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
Wheat
Wheat
2
6% 28% 65%
Protein: 5.71 g
Fats: 0.83 g
Carbs: 27.6 g
Water: 65.18 g
Other: 0.68 g
Contains more FatsFats +131.3%
Contains more OtherOther +13.2%
Contains more ProteinProtein +29.8%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +29.6%
~equal in Water ~65.18g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Quinoa
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
Wheat
Wheat
1
19% 21% 60%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.077 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.084 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.243 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +528.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +343.6%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -66.7%

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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. Wheat - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169744/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.