I know you guys are having a big confusion here.
You probably know both the white and brown rice, hopefully. Now Quinoa, on the other hand, is a unique plant food which is gluten-free, packed with all the 9 amino acids! It’s high in fiber, iron, magnesium, vitamin E, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, and the list goes on….!
Again –
White Rice/Brown Rice/Quinoa – Which is the Best Healthy Meal Out of All?
I would like to divide this question into two parts, well if you compare both the White and the Brown Rice – Brown Rice undoubtedly wins as it is the whole grain with the fibrous bran, and the endosperm. Both of these nutritive elements are removed in the white rice, leaving nothing.
Brown Rice is better and more nutritious than white rice. (Brown rice, on the other hand, is high on arsenic, if you are allergic to it – AVOID)
Brown Rice vs Quinoa
Both of them are whole grain, and beneficial for lowering type-2 diabetes. Both of them are good for a healthy lifestyle, but it’s the mineral and vitamin content that makes them differ from each other.
We shall compare each of the nutritional element for Brown Rice & Quinoa, and find out the Winner for you:
Amino Acids
A human body is not capable of producing all the nine amino acids, this is why you need to get some of them from plant foods. Quinoa is one among those, with all the complete 9 amino acids. The brown rice doesn’t contain all the amino acids. [QUINOA WINS]
Proteins
When one cup of brown rice is cooked, you will find 4 to 5 grams whereas the Quinoa has 8 grams of protein packed in a single cup. [QUINOA WINS]
Carbs
When it comes to carb intake, it is recommended to follow a low carb diet. For one cup of quinoa, the carb count is found to be 39 grams whereas the count goes to 45 grams in the brown rice. [QUINOA WINS]
Calories
We tested one cup of cooked brown rice and quinoa. The results are too close, with the Quinoa having 222 calories and Brown Rice with 218 calories. Numbers are close, still [BROWN RICE WINS]
Gluten
If you are prescribed to have gluten-free meals, then both the brown rice and the quinoa stand equally good in this case. But you need to choose a quality brand, don’t fall for everything that says ‘gluten-free’. [BOTH WINS]
Looking at the number of wins, Quinoa definitely beats the Brown Rice. But for some instances, Brown Rice works better. You can include both of them in your meals, depending on your health condition and requirement.