Quinoa and brown rice are two sources of food that have high amounts of whole grains. The two share common health benefits but differ in their mineral and vitamin content which have different effects on your health.
In terms of calorie and macronutrients, quinoa and brown rice are almost identical according to Healthy Eating. A half cup of brown rice contains 109 calories while quinoa has 111 calories. Most of the calories come mostly from the carbohydrate content of the two. Quinoa contains 20 grams of carbohydrates while brown rice has 22 grams.
But quinoa offers more grams of fiber and protein than brown rice. A half cup of quinoa has 2.6 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein per half-cup serving. Brown rice on the other hand has 1.9 grams of fiber with 2.5 grams of protein.
Meanwhile, in terms of Iron and Magnesium, quinoa is the better choice as it offers more compared to brown rice. Quinoa has 59 milligrams of magnesium which amounts to 18 percent of the daily recommended intake for women and 14 percent for men. It also contains 1.4 milligrams of iron which is 18 percent of the daily recommended intake for men and 8 percent for women.
In contrast, Brown contains more of some minerals than Quinoa including manganese and selenium. A serving of brown rice contains 9.6 milligrams of selenium and 0.9 milligrams of manganese as compared to 2.6 milligrams and 0.6 milligrams respectively for quinoa. Manganese and selenium are essential to protect your tissues from oxidative stress.
Lastly both quinoa and brown rice contribute to your daily B-Complex Vitamins. Brown rice is a good source of niacin which boosts blood flow. On the other hand, quinoa has a considerable amount of folate.
An infographic from Prevention offers a more in depth look at the differences between quinoa and brown rice. But the bottom line according to the diagram is that quinoa is better than brown rice.
