Is Quinoa A Good Protein Source?
February 5, 2009 by admin
I get this one a lot: “isn’t quinoa a good protein source?”
The short answer is “no”. It’s a grain. (If you want to be technical, botanically it’s not actually a grain. Like my beloved eggplant isn’t actually a vegetable.) Grains are starchy foods. Quinoa is probably the highest protein grain, but it’s still a grain, so it’s still a starch. Which may or may not be a good idea for you.
It certainly beats white bread, but it can’t hold a candle to a chicken breast.
How To Tell If Something Is A Protein or A Starch
I definitely understand where that comes from – tons of magazines tout quinoa as a great source of protein. But is actually?
Take a look at Quinoa’s nutrition info:
Nutrition Facts
Calories 127 (532 kJ)
Total Fat 2g
Total Carbs. 23.5g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Protein 4.5g (1)
There are 4 calories per gram of protein and carbohydrate, so percentage-wise this works out to:
• Starch: 23.5g total carbs – 2g fiber x 4kcal/gram = 86kcal of starch (68% of the calories are from carbs)
• Protein: 4.5g x 4kcal/gram = 18kcal of protein (14% of the calories are from protein)
Also, keep in mind that plant protein is roughly half as “complete” as animal protein (quinoa is actually better than most plant protein sources). So, you need about 2g of veggie protein to equal 1g of animal protein. So the numbers for protein above should really be halved. (2)
On the other hand, lets check out the stats on a chicken breast:
Calories 142 (593 kJ)
Total Fat 3.1g
Total Carbs. 0g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Protein 26.7g (3)
• Starch: 0g x 4kcal/gram = 0kcal of starch (0% of the calories are from carbs)
• Protein: 26.7g x 4kcal/gram = 107kcal of protein (75% of the calories are from protein)
Quinoa has better quality protein and a higher protein content than most starches, but it is still primarily a starch. Foods that are 68% starch are good sources of starch, not good sources of protein. It would be one of the highest protein starches, but it is a starch.
References
1. www.calorieking.com
2. Clark, Michael A. Corn, Rodney J. Parracino, Lenny A. Optimum Performance Training. NASM. 2002. P.583
Josef Brandenburg is also the author of The Body You Want, and an award winning personal trainer in Washington DC.
very useful! i’ve wondered about this a lot.
Hey its not a grain its a seed, and it has a far better amino acid proile than most veges prteins
Hmm, I believe Mr. Josef Brandenburg won an award for being a personal trainer, not as a nutrition expert.
from: http://chetday.com/quinoa.html
…Technically quinoa is not a true grain, but is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of it\\\\\\\’s cooking characteristics…
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa
… Quinoa (pronounced /?ki?nw??/ or /k??no?.?/, Spanish quinua, from Quechua kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds…
umm, perhaps Mr. Josef Brandenburg is referring to quinoa as \\\\"grain-like\\\\", and thus, assumed it was a grain?
this information made me confused. So what’s better then? Is it better to Quinoa with a portion of chicken or just eat rice and chicken instead?
Please help!
Best protein comes from stuff that had a face or would have had a face – an egg would have had a face. If you want protein, eat a face not a plant.
As for what’s better that all depends on who you are and what your goals are. Quinoa is a fine non-gluten starch, but that is only if it is appropriate for you to eat starch.
Billy, I am assuming you mean that I am not a botanist.
Grain or seed, its still a starch, and that’s all that matters for the purpose of this post.
Tom, better than bad still is not actually good.
so cvan you eat quinoa as part of a no/low carb diet or not?
Sarah,
If you want a low carb diet – a diet low in carbohydrates (as low as possible), then no, eating starchy foods isn’t really going to be a good idea. It is a very high carb food. Its like adding lard to your low-fat diet.
Does that mean no one should eat the stuff? Probably not… some people will do better with gluten-free starch.
It’s true that many plant proteins are incomplete. Quinoa is one of the complete animal proteins, however. It may not have as much protein as a chicken breast, but it’s just as complete.
Sarah, a no carb diet is not healthy for anyone. Are you aware that fruits and vegetables are also carbs? Carbohydrates should make up 45-65% of your calories each day. Protein should be considerably less (10-35%). Even if you want to cut down, quinoa is a good choice for those carbs you do eat. It’s high in fibre, vitamins and minerals, and for a seed, it IS high in protein.
I love josefbrandenburg.com , bookmarked for future reference
According to nutritiondata, which I understand gets its info from the USDA, quinoa in fact is a complete protein source (all the amino acids in balance):
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2