Whole Wheat Bread vs. Quinoa

Nutrition comparison of Whole Wheat Bread and Cooked Quinoa

Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of whole wheat bread versus cooked quinoa (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in whole wheat bread and quinoa:

  • Both whole wheat bread and quinoa are high in calories and dietary fiber.
  • Quinoa has 6.3 times less sugar than whole wheat bread.
  • Whole wheat bread has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
  • Whole wheat bread is a great source of iron and potassium.
  • Whole wheat bread is an excellent source of calcium and protein.
Detailed nutritional comparison of whole wheat bread and quinoa 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: Whole Wheat Bread (Bread, multi-grain (includes whole-grain)) and Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.

Image of Whole Wheat Bread src
Image of Quinoa src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both whole wheat bread and quinoa are high in calories. Whole wheat bread has 121% more calories than quinoa - whole wheat bread has 265 calories per 100 grams and quinoa has 120 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, whole wheat bread is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to quinoa for fat. Whole wheat bread has a macronutrient ratio of 20:65:14 and for quinoa, 15:71:15 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Whole Wheat Bread Quinoa
Protein 20% 15%
Carbohydrates 65% 71%
Fat 14% 15%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Whole wheat bread is high in carbohydrates and quinoa has 51% less carbohydrates than whole wheat bread - whole wheat bread has 43.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and quinoa has 21.3g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Both whole wheat bread and quinoa are high in dietary fiber. Whole wheat bread has 164% more dietary fiber than quinoa - whole wheat bread has 7.4g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and quinoa has 2.8g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Quinoa has 6.3 times less sugar than whole wheat bread - whole wheat bread has 6.4g of sugar per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.87g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Whole wheat bread is an excellent source of protein and it has 204% more protein than quinoa - whole wheat bread has 13.4g of protein per 100 grams and quinoa has 4.4g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both whole wheat bread and quinoa are low in saturated fat - whole wheat bread has 0.87g of saturated fat per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.23g of saturated fat.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Whole wheat bread and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - whole wheat bread has 0.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Quinoa and whole wheat bread contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - quinoa has 1.5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and whole wheat bread does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Whole wheat bread and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - whole wheat bread has 0.37mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and quinoa has 0.63mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Whole wheat bread and quinoa contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - whole wheat bread has 1.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and quinoa does not contain significant amounts.

The B Vitamins

Whole wheat bread has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both whole wheat bread and quinoa contain significant amounts of riboflavin and folate.

Whole Wheat Bread Quinoa
Thiamin 0.279 MG 0.107 MG
Riboflavin 0.131 MG 0.11 MG
Niacin 4.042 MG 0.412 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.336 MG ~
Vitamin B6 0.263 MG 0.123 MG
Folate 75 UG 42 UG

Minerals

calcium

Whole wheat bread is an excellent source of calcium and it has 506% more calcium than quinoa - whole wheat bread has 103mg of calcium per 100 grams and quinoa has 17mg of calcium.

iron

Whole wheat bread is a great source of iron and it has 68% more iron than quinoa - whole wheat bread has 2.5mg of iron per 100 grams and quinoa has 1.5mg of iron.

potassium

Whole wheat bread is a great source of potassium and it has 34% more potassium than quinoa - whole wheat bread has 230mg of potassium per 100 grams and quinoa has 172mg 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, both whole wheat bread and quinoa contain significant amounts of lutein + zeaxanthin.

Whole Wheat Bread Quinoa
beta-carotene 1 UG 3 UG
lutein + zeaxanthin 94 UG 53 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, whole wheat bread has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than quinoa per 100 grams, however, quinoa contains more dha than whole wheat bread per 100 grams.

Whole Wheat Bread Quinoa
alpha linoleic acid 0.205 G 0.085 G
DHA ~ 0.015 G
Total 0.205 G 0.1 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both whole wheat bread and quinoa contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Whole Wheat Bread Quinoa
other omega 6 ~ 0.003 G
linoleic acid 1.667 G 0.974 G
Total 1.667 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.

Note: The specific food items compared are: Whole Wheat Bread (Bread, multi-grain (includes whole-grain)) and Quinoa (Quinoa, cooked) .

Whole Wheat Bread 28g

( oz )
Daily Values (%)

Cooked Quinoa 185g

( cup )
75KCAL 4%
calories 196%
222KCAL 11%
12G 5%
carbohydrates 225%
39G 16%
2.1G 8%
dietary fiber 148%
5.2G 21%
1.8G 12% sugar 1.6G
1.2G 2%
total fat 200%
3.6G 6%
0.25G 1%
saturated fat 72%
0.43G 2%
0.22G monounsaturated fat 345% 0.98G
0.53G polyunsaturated fat 277% 2G
108MG 7%
731% sodium
13MG 1%
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin A >999%
2.8UG 0.4%
>999% Vitamin C
29MG 3%
calcium 7%
31MG 3%
0.71MG 4%
iron 294%
2.8MG 15%
22MG 7%
magnesium 436%
118MG 38%
65MG 3%
potassium 389%
318MG 14%
0.08MG 7%
thiamin (Vit B1) 150%
0.2MG 18%
0.04MG 3%
riboflavin (Vit B2) 399%
0.2MG 19%
1.1MG 8%
45% niacin (Vit B3)
0.76MG 5%
0.07MG 6%
Vitamin B6 228%
0.23MG 18%
0.1MG 2%
>999% pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
21UG 5%
folate (Vit B9) 271%
78UG 19%
0.1MG 1%
Vitamin E >999%
1.2MG 8%
0.4UG 0.4%
>999% Vitamin K
3.8G 8%
protein 113%
8.1G 16%
6.2MG 2%
choline 594%
43MG 10%
0.08MG 7%
copper 350%
0.36MG 30%
0.57MG 32%
manganese 111%
1.2MG 65%
65MG 9%
phosphorus 332%
281MG 40%
9.3UG 17%
79% selenium
5.2UG 9%
0.48MG 6%
zinc 317%
2MG 25%
10G Water >999% 132G
7.3G Starch 352% 33G


NO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS (either food): Alcohol, chlorine, chromium, fluoride, iodine, molybdenum, Vitamin D, biotin (Vit B7), Vitamin B12, cholesterol, trans fat.

FAQ

Does whole wheat bread or quinoa contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both whole wheat bread and quinoa are high in calories. Whole wheat bread has 120% more calories than quinoa - whole wheat bread has 265 calories in 100g and quinoa has 120 calories.

Does whole wheat bread or quinoa have more carbohydrates?
By weight, whole wheat bread is high in carbohydrates and quinoa has 50% fewer carbohydrates than whole wheat bread - whole wheat bread has 43.3g of carbs for 100g and quinoa has 21.3g of carbohydrates.

Does whole wheat bread or quinoa contain more calcium?
Whole wheat bread is a rich source of calcium and it has 510% more calcium than quinoa - whole wheat bread has 103mg of calcium in 100 grams and quinoa has 17mg of calcium.