Cornmeal vs. Quinoa
Nutrition comparison of Cornmeal and Cooked Quinoa
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cornmeal
versus
cooked
quinoa
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cornmeal and quinoa:
- Both cornmeal and quinoa are high in calories and dietary fiber.
- Cornmeal has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Cornmeal is a great source of iron and protein.
- Cornmeal is an excellent source of potassium.
- For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more dha than cornmeal.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cornmeal (Cornmeal, yellow (Navajo)) and Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both cornmeal and quinoa are high in calories. Cornmeal has 220% more calories than quinoa - cornmeal has 384 calories per 100 grams and quinoa has 120 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cornmeal is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and similar to quinoa for fat. Cornmeal has a macronutrient ratio of 10:76:14 and for quinoa, 15:71:15 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cornmeal | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 10% | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 76% | 71% |
| Fat | 14% | 15% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Cornmeal is high in carbohydrates and quinoa has 71% less carbohydrates than cornmeal - cornmeal has 72.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and quinoa has 21.3g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in cornmeal are made of 85% starch, 13% dietary fiber and 2% sugar, whereas the carbs in quinoa comprise of 83% starch, 13% dietary fiber and 4% sugar.
dietary fiber
Both cornmeal and quinoa are high in dietary fiber. Cornmeal has 236% more dietary fiber than quinoa - cornmeal has 9.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Cornmeal and quinoa contain similar amounts of sugar - cornmeal has 1.6g of sugar per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.87g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Cornmeal is a great source of protein and it has 124% more protein than quinoa - cornmeal has 9.9g of protein per 100 grams and quinoa has 4.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cornmeal and quinoa contain similar amounts of saturated fat - cornmeal has 1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Quinoa and cornmeal contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - quinoa has 1.5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cornmeal does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Cornmeal and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cornmeal has 0.37mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cornmeal and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cornmeal has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Cornmeal has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both cornmeal and quinoa contain significant amounts of riboflavin and folate.
| Cornmeal | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.3 MG | 0.107 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.093 MG | 0.11 MG |
| Niacin | 2.47 MG | 0.412 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.595 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.59 MG | 0.123 MG |
| Folate | 34 UG | 42 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Quinoa has 183% more calcium than cornmeal - cornmeal has 6mg of calcium per 100 grams and quinoa has 17mg of calcium.
iron
Cornmeal is a great source of iron and it has 101% more iron than quinoa - cornmeal has 3mg of iron per 100 grams and quinoa has 1.5mg of iron.
potassium
Cornmeal is an excellent source of potassium and it has 87% more potassium than quinoa - cornmeal has 322mg of potassium per 100 grams and quinoa has 172mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, quinoa has more DHA than cornmeal per 100 grams. Both cornmeal and quinoa contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Cornmeal | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.06 G | 0.085 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.015 G |
| Total | 0.06 G | 0.1 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, cornmeal has more linoleic acid than quinoa per 100 grams.
| Cornmeal | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.003 G |
| linoleic acid | 2.292 G | 0.974 G |
| Total | 2.292 G | 0.977 G |
Customize your serving size
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.
Cornmeal g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Quinoa 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 | |||
FAQ
Does cornmeal or quinoa contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cornmeal and quinoa are high in calories. Cornmeal has 220% more calories than quinoa - cornmeal has 384 calories in 100g and quinoa has 120 calories.
Does cornmeal or quinoa have more carbohydrates?
By weight, cornmeal is high in carbohydrates and quinoa has 70% fewer carbohydrates than cornmeal - cornmeal has 72.9g of carbs for 100g and quinoa has 21.3g of carbohydrates. the carbs in cornmeal are made of 90% starch, 10% dietary fiber and 0% sugar, whereas the carbs in quinoa comprise of 80% starch, 10% dietary fiber and 0% sugar.
Does cornmeal or quinoa contain more potassium?
Cornmeal is a rich source of potassium and it has 90% more potassium than quinoa - cornmeal has 322mg of potassium in 100 grams and quinoa has 172mg of potassium.