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Brown rice vs. Lentil — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the differences between brown rice and lentil?

  • Brown rice is higher in manganese, vitamin B3, and selenium, yet lentil is higher in folate, iron, fiber, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin B5.
  • Lentil's daily need coverage for folate is 43% more.
  • Brown rice has 2 times more vitamin B3 than lentil. While brown rice has 2.561mg of vitamin B3, lentil has only 1.06mg.
  • The glycemic index of lentil is lower.

We used Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked and Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt types in this article.

Infographic

Brown rice vs Lentil infographic
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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.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 28% 0.9% 7.6% 21% 35% 19% 44% 0.52% 127% 32%
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 ManganeseManganese +97.2%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +107.1%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +533.3%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +329.1%
Contains more IronIron +494.6%
Contains more CopperCopper +136.8%
Contains more ZincZinc +78.9%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +74.8%
Contains less SodiumSodium -50%
~equal in Magnesium ~36mg

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.
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% 3.4% 0% 45% 16% 48% 23% 28% 0% 0.5% 6.8% 5%
Lentil
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 5% 0% 2.2% 0% 42% 17% 20% 38% 41% 0% 4.3% 136% 18%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +54.5%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +141.6%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +67.9%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +44.7%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +750%
Contains more FolateFolate +1911.1%
Contains more CholineCholine +255.4%
~equal in Vitamin A ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B1 ~0.169mg
~equal in Vitamin B2 ~0.073mg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
3% 26% 70%
Protein: 2.74 g
Fats: 0.97 g
Carbs: 25.58 g
Water: 70.27 g
Other: 0.44 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 +155.3%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +27.1%
Contains more ProteinProtein +229.2%
Contains more OtherOther +88.6%
~equal in Water ~69.64g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
26% 37% 37%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.26 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.369 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.366 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 +476.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +109.1%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -79.6%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Brown rice Lentil DV% diff.
Folate 9µg 181µg 43%
Iron 0.56mg 3.33mg 35%
Fiber 1.6g 7.9g 25%
Manganese 0.974mg 0.494mg 21%
Copper 0.106mg 0.251mg 16%
Protein 2.74g 9.02g 13%
Phosphorus 103mg 180mg 11%
Starch 24.79g 10%
Vitamin B3 2.561mg 1.06mg 9%
Potassium 86mg 369mg 8%
Vitamin B5 0.38mg 0.638mg 5%
Zinc 0.71mg 1.27mg 5%
Selenium 5.8µg 2.8µg 5%
Vitamin B6 0.123mg 0.178mg 4%
Choline 9.2mg 32.7mg 4%
Calcium 3mg 19mg 2%
Carbs 25.58g 20.13g 2%
Vitamin C 0mg 1.5mg 2%
Saturated fat 0.26g 0.053g 1%
Vitamin K 0.2µg 1.7µg 1%
Monounsaturated fat 0.369g 0.064g 1%
Vitamin B1 0.178mg 0.169mg 1%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.366g 0.175g 1%
Magnesium 39mg 36mg 1%
Fats 0.97g 0.38g 1%
Calories 123kcal 116kcal 0%
Net carbs 23.98g 12.23g N/A
Sugar 0.24g 1.8g N/A
Sodium 4mg 2mg 0%
Vitamin E 0.17mg 0.11mg 0%
Vitamin B2 0.069mg 0.073mg 0%
Tryptophan 0.033mg 0.081mg 0%
Threonine 0.095mg 0.323mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.109mg 0.39mg 0%
Leucine 0.214mg 0.654mg 0%
Lysine 0.099mg 0.63mg 0%
Methionine 0.058mg 0.077mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.133mg 0.445mg 0%
Valine 0.151mg 0.448mg 0%
Histidine 0.066mg 0.254mg 0%
Omega-3 - ALA 0.011g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.355g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Brown rice 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
13%
Brown rice
25%
Lentil
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
32%
Brown rice
46%
Lentil

Comparison summary

Which food contains less Sodium?
Lentil
Lentil contains less Sodium (difference - 2mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Lentil
Lentil is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 0.207g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Lentil
Lentil is lower in glycemic index (difference - 37)
Which food is cheaper?
Lentil
Lentil is cheaper (difference - $0.9)
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Lentil
Lentil is relatively richer in vitamins
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Brown rice
Brown rice is lower in Sugar (difference - 1.56g)
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)
Which food is richer in minerals?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

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. Brown rice - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169704/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.