Quinoa vs. Romaine Lettuce
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Quinoa and Romaine Lettuce
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
quinoa
versus
romaine lettuce
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in quinoa and romaine lettuce:
- Both quinoa and romaine lettuce are high in dietary fiber.
- For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more dha than romaine lettuce.
- Romaine lettuce has 5.4 times less carbohydrates than quinoa.
- Romaine lettuce has more pantothenic acid and folate.
- Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and potassium.
- Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Quinoa is high in calories and romaine lettuce has 86% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 17 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and similar to romaine lettuce for fat. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:14 and for romaine lettuce, 23:64:13 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Quinoa | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 15% | 23% |
| Carbohydrates | 71% | 64% |
| Fat | 14% | 13% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Romaine lettuce has 5.4 times less carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in quinoa are made of 83% starch, 13% dietary fiber and 4% sugar, whereas the carbs in romaine lettuce comprise of 64% dietary fiber and 36% sugar.
dietary fiber
Both quinoa and romaine lettuce are high in dietary fiber. Quinoa has 33% more dietary fiber than romaine lettuce - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Quinoa and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Quinoa has 258% more protein than romaine lettuce - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both quinoa and romaine lettuce are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Romaine lettuce has more Vitamin C than quinoa - romaine lettuce has 4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than quinoa - romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Quinoa and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.13mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has more Vitamin K than quinoa - romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Romaine lettuce has more pantothenic acid and folate. Both quinoa and romaine lettuce contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
| Quinoa | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.107 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.11 MG | 0.067 MG |
| Niacin | 0.412 MG | 0.313 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | ~ | 0.142 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.074 MG |
| Folate | 42 UG | 136 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Romaine lettuce has 94% more calcium than quinoa - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium.
iron
Quinoa has 54% more iron than romaine lettuce - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron.
potassium
Romaine lettuce is a great source of potassium and it has 44% more potassium than quinoa - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
carotenoids
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,
| Quinoa | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 3 UG | 5226 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 53 UG | 2312 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more DHA than romaine lettuce per 100 grams. Both quinoa and romaine lettuce contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Quinoa | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.085 G | 0.113 G |
| DHA | 0.015 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.1 G | 0.113 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than romaine lettuce per 100 grams.
| Quinoa | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.974 G | 0.047 G |
| other omega 6 | 0.003 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.977 G | 0.047 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).
You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Quinoa or Romaine Lettuce .
Note: The specific food items compared are: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) .
Cooked Quinoa g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Romaine Lettuce g
()
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
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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 % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
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UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does quinoa or romaine lettuce contain more calories in 100 grams?Quinoa is high in calories and romaine lettuce has 90% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories in 100g and romaine lettuce has 17 calories.
Does quinoa or romaine lettuce have more carbohydrates?
By weight, romaine lettuce has 5.4 times fewer carbohydrates than quinoa - quinoa has 21.3g of carbs for 100g and romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbohydrates. the carbs in quinoa are made of 80% starch, 10% dietary fiber and 0% sugar, whereas the carbs in romaine lettuce comprise of 60% dietary fiber and 40% sugar.