Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
quinoa
versus
russet potato
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in quinoa and russet potato:
Quinoa is high in calories and russet potato has 34% less calories than quinoa - quinoa has 120 calories per 100 grams and russet potato has 79 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, quinoa is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to russet potato per calorie. Quinoa has a macronutrient ratio of 15:71:15 and for russet potato, 11:89:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
Quinoa | Russet Potato | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 15% | 11% |
Carbohydrates | 71% | 89% |
Fat | 15% | 1% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Quinoa and russet potato contain similar amounts of carbs - quinoa has 21.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and russet potato has 18.1g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in quinoa are made of 83% starch, 13% dietary fiber and 4% sugar, whereas the carbs in russet potato comprise of 89% starch, 7% dietary fiber and 3% sugar.
Quinoa is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 115% more dietary fiber than russet potato - quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and russet potato has 1.3g of dietary fiber.
Quinoa and russet potato contain similar amounts of sugar - quinoa has 0.87g of sugar per 100 grams and russet potato has 0.62g of sugar.
Quinoa has 106% more protein than russet potato - quinoa has 4.4g of protein per 100 grams and russet potato has 2.1g of protein.
Both quinoa and russet potato are low in saturated fat - quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and russet potato has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Russet potato has more Vitamin C than quinoa - russet potato has 5.7mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Russet potato and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - russet potato has 0.3ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Quinoa and russet potato contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and russet potato has 0.01mg of Vitamin E.
Russet potato and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - russet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
Quinoa has more riboflavin and folate, however, russet potato contains more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both quinoa and russet potato contain significant amounts of thiamin.
Quinoa | Russet Potato | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 0.107 MG | 0.082 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.11 MG | 0.033 MG |
Niacin | 0.412 MG | 1.035 MG |
Pantothenic acid | ~ | 0.301 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.123 MG | 0.345 MG |
Folate | 42 UG | 14 UG |
Quinoa and russet potato contain similar amounts of calcium - quinoa has 17mg of calcium per 100 grams and russet potato has 13mg of calcium.
Quinoa has 73% more iron than russet potato - quinoa has 1.5mg of iron per 100 grams and russet potato has 0.86mg of iron.
Russet potato is an excellent source of potassium and it has 142% more potassium than quinoa - quinoa has 172mg of potassium per 100 grams and russet potato has 417mg of potassium.
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DHA than russet potato per 100 grams.
Quinoa | Russet Potato | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 0.085 G | 0.01 G |
DHA | 0.015 G | ~ |
Total | 0.1 G | 0.01 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, quinoa has more linoleic acid than russet potato per 100 grams.
Quinoa | Russet Potato | |
---|---|---|
linoleic acid | 0.974 G | 0.032 G |
other omega 6 | 0.003 G | ~ |
Total | 0.977 G | 0.032 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.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) and Russet Potato (Potatoes, russet, flesh and skin, raw (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)) .
Cooked Quinoa g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Russet Potato g
()
|
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KCAL % |
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5% | calories | 5% |
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KCAL % | |
G % |
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5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
G % |
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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 % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
MG % |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
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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 % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
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 % |
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5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||