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Spaghetti vs. Quinoa — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are spaghetti and quinoa different?

  • Spaghetti is richer in selenium, while quinoa is higher in manganese, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, copper, folate, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and vitamin B6.
  • Spaghetti covers your daily need for selenium 43% more than quinoa.
  • Spaghetti contains 9 times more Selenium than quinoa. Spaghetti contains 26.4µg of Selenium, while quinoa contains 2.8µg.

Pasta, cooked, unenriched, without added salt and Quinoa, cooked types were used in this article.

Infographic

Spaghetti vs Quinoa 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 13% 2.1% 3.9% 19% 33% 14% 25% 0.13% 42% 144%
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%
Contains less SodiumSodium -85.7%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +842.9%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +255.6%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +142.9%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +290.9%
Contains more IronIron +198%
Contains more CopperCopper +92%
Contains more ZincZinc +113.7%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +162.1%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +96%

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% 1.2% 0% 5% 4.6% 7.5% 6.7% 11% 0% 0% 5.3% 3.5%
Quinoa
7
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% 13% 0% 27% 25% 7.7% 0% 28% 0% 0% 32% 13%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +950%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +435%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +450%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +151%
Contains more FolateFolate +500%
Contains more CholineCholine +259.4%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B3 ~0.412mg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin K ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
6% 31% 62%
Protein: 5.8 g
Fats: 0.93 g
Carbs: 30.86 g
Water: 62.13 g
Other: 0.28 g
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
Contains more ProteinProtein +31.8%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +44.9%
Contains more FatsFats +106.5%
Contains more WaterWater +15.3%
Contains more OtherOther +175%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
28% 21% 52%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.176 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.131 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.326 g
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
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -23.8%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +303.1%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +230.7%

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
98%
Starch: 26.01 g
Sucrose: 0.09 g
Glucose: 0.04 g
Fructose: 0.03 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0.4 g
Galactose: 0 g
Quinoa
0
100%
Starch: 17.63 g
Sucrose: 0 g
Glucose: 0 g
Fructose: 0 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0 g
Galactose: 0 g
Contains more StarchStarch +47.5%
Contains more SucroseSucrose +∞%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
Contains more MaltoseMaltose +∞%
~equal in Lactose ~0g
~equal in Galactose ~0g

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Spaghetti Quinoa Opinion
Calories 158kcal 120kcal Spaghetti
Protein 5.8g 4.4g Spaghetti
Fats 0.93g 1.92g Quinoa
Net carbs 29.06g 18.5g Spaghetti
Carbs 30.86g 21.3g Spaghetti
Magnesium 18mg 64mg Quinoa
Calcium 7mg 17mg Quinoa
Potassium 44mg 172mg Quinoa
Iron 0.5mg 1.49mg Quinoa
Sugar 0.56g 0.87g Spaghetti
Fiber 1.8g 2.8g Quinoa
Copper 0.1mg 0.192mg Quinoa
Zinc 0.51mg 1.09mg Quinoa
Starch 26.01g 17.63g Spaghetti
Phosphorus 58mg 152mg Quinoa
Sodium 1mg 7mg Spaghetti
Vitamin A 0IU 5IU Quinoa
Vitamin E 0.06mg 0.63mg Quinoa
Manganese 0.322mg 0.631mg Quinoa
Selenium 26.4µg 2.8µg Spaghetti
Vitamin B1 0.02mg 0.107mg Quinoa
Vitamin B2 0.02mg 0.11mg Quinoa
Vitamin B3 0.4mg 0.412mg Quinoa
Vitamin B5 0.112mg Spaghetti
Vitamin B6 0.049mg 0.123mg Quinoa
Folate 7µg 42µg Quinoa
Choline 6.4mg 23mg Quinoa
Saturated Fat 0.176g 0.231g Spaghetti
Monounsaturated Fat 0.131g 0.528g Quinoa
Polyunsaturated fat 0.326g 1.078g Quinoa
Tryptophan 0.083mg 0.052mg Spaghetti
Threonine 0.206mg 0.131mg Spaghetti
Isoleucine 0.228mg 0.157mg Spaghetti
Leucine 0.44mg 0.261mg Spaghetti
Lysine 0.133mg 0.239mg Quinoa
Methionine 0.065mg 0.096mg Quinoa
Phenylalanine 0.297mg 0.185mg Spaghetti
Valine 0.262mg 0.185mg Spaghetti
Histidine 0.132mg 0.127mg Spaghetti
Fructose 0.03g Spaghetti
Omega-3 - DHA 0g 0.015g Quinoa
Omega-3 - ALA 0.024g Spaghetti

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Spaghetti Quinoa
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
3%
Spaghetti
11%
Quinoa
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
30%
Spaghetti
38%
Quinoa

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.31g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Spaghetti
Spaghetti contains less Sodium (difference - 6mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.055g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is lower in glycemic index (difference - 4)
Which food is cheaper?
Quinoa
Quinoa is cheaper (difference - $1.6)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Quinoa
Quinoa is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Quinoa
Quinoa 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. Spaghetti - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168928/nutrients
  2. Quinoa - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168917/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.