Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
quinoa
versus
pears
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in quinoa and pears:
Quinoa is high in calories and pear has 53% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and pear has 57 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to pears per calorie. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:15 and for pears, 2:96:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
Quinoa | Pears | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 15% | 2% |
Carbohydrates | 71% | 96% |
Fat | 15% | 2% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Pear has 28% less carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and pear has 15.2g of carbohydrates.
Both quinoa and pears are high in dietary fiber. Quinoa is very similar to quinoa for dietary fiber - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and pear has 3.1g of dietary fiber.
Quinoa has 10.2 times less sugar than pear - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and pear has 9.8g of sugar.
Quinoa has 11 times more protein than pear - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and pear has 0.36g of protein.
Both quinoa and pears are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and pear has 0.02g of saturated fat.
Pear has more Vitamin C than quinoa - pear has 4.3mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Pears and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - pear has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Quinoa and pears contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and pear has 0.12mg of Vitamin E.
Pears and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - pear has 4.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Quinoa has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, pear contains more pantothenic acid.
Quinoa | Pears | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 0.107 MG | 0.012 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.11 MG | 0.026 MG |
Niacin | 0.412 MG | 0.161 MG |
Pantothenic acid | ~ | 0.049 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.029 MG |
Folate | 42 UG | 7 UG |
Quinoa and pears contain similar amounts of calcium - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and pear has 9mg of calcium.
Quinoa has 728% more iron than pear - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and pear has 0.18mg of iron.
Quinoa has 48% more potassium than pear - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and pear has 116mg of potassium.
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, both quinoa and pears contain significant amounts of lutein + zeaxanthin.
Quinoa | Pears | |
---|---|---|
beta-carotene | 3 UG | 14 UG |
lutein + zeaxanthin | 53 UG | 44 UG |
alpha-carotene | ~ | 1 UG |
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than pear per 100 grams.
Quinoa | Pears | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 0.085 G | 0.001 G |
DHA | 0.015 G | ~ |
Total | 0.1 G | 0.001 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than pear per 100 grams.
Quinoa | Pears | |
---|---|---|
linoleic acid | 0.974 G | 0.093 G |
other omega 6 | 0.003 G | ~ |
Total | 0.977 G | 0.093 G |
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Cooked Quinoa g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Pears g
()
|
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||