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  6. Wheat vs. Quinoa

Wheat vs. Quinoa — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the main differences between wheat and quinoa?

  • Wheat is richer in selenium, manganese, vitamin B3, zinc, and fiber, while quinoa is higher in folate, vitamin B2, and polyunsaturated fat.
  • Wheat's daily need coverage for selenium is 53% higher.
  • Quinoa has 6 times less vitamin B3 than wheat. Wheat has 2.305mg of vitamin B3, while quinoa has 0.412mg.
  • Quinoa is lower in sugar.

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

Infographic

Wheat vs Quinoa 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.
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%
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%
Contains more IronIron +18.1%
Contains more ZincZinc +68.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +63.2%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +1039.3%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +33.3%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +88.9%
Contains less SodiumSodium -12.5%
~equal in Potassium ~172mg
~equal in Copper ~0.192mg
~equal in Phosphorus ~152mg

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.
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%
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%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +459.5%
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%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin A ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B5 ~mg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin K ~0µg

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

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

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
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
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
Contains more ProteinProtein +29.8%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +29.6%
Contains more FatsFats +131.3%
Contains more OtherOther +13.2%
~equal in Water ~71.61g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
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
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
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -66.7%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +528.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +343.6%

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