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.
Detailed nutritional comparison of quinoa and romaine lettuce is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

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.


Image of Quinoa src
Image of Romaine Lettuce src

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) .

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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.