Quinoa is a good dietary source of fiber. It has less fiber than many grains, but much more fiber than rice! Quinoa can help us meet our daily needs of fiber.
What’s the recommended daily intake of fiber?
A high-fiber diet has been associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and certain gastrointestinal diseases. Also, it may reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol, enhance immune functions, and improve insulin sensitivity.[1]
We should consume at least 28 g of fiber per 2,000 calories. Higher amounts are better, though.
Consuming too much fiber is rather unlikely to cause any side effects. Actually, most people fail to meet the recommended daily intake of fiber. It’s estimated that about 90% of Americans don’t get enough fiber.
How much fiber is in quinoa?
Quinoa is an excellent dietary source of fiber. Uncooked quinoa has 7 g of fiber per 100g. This amount is 25% of the Daily Value (DV). A cup has 11.9 g of fiber, or 42% of the DV.[2]
A serving (1/4 cup) provides almost 3 g of fiber, or 11% of the DV.
Cooked quinoa has 2.8 g of fiber per 100g, which is 10% of the DV. A cup of cooked quinoa has 5.18 g of fiber, or 18% of the DV.
You can buy whole-grain, organic quinoa on Amazon.
What’s the main type of fiber in quinoa?
Quinoa has both soluble and insoluble fiber. But, it’s mainly insoluble fiber, though. Actually, about 78% of its dietary fiber is insoluble.[3]
Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in the water. It absorbs water, making the stool softer. It helps defecation. On the contrary, soluble fiber dissolves in the water, turning to a gel. It slows down digestion, promotes satiety, and supports weight loss.
Does rice & grains have more fiber than quinoa?
Actually, quinoa is a pseudocereal with a lower fiber content than moat common grains, like wheat, barley, or rye. In fact, quinoa has almost 60%, 54%, and 43% less fiber than barley, rye, and wheat, respectively.
| fiber (g) per 100g | % DV | |
| chia seeds | 34.4 | 123% |
| barley | 17.3 | 62% |
| rye | 15.1 | 54% |
| bulgur wheat | 12.5 | 45% |
| wheat | 12.2 | 44% |
| kamut | 11.1 | 40% |
| buckwheat | 10 | 36% |
| oats | 9.4 | 34% |
| millet | 8.5 | 30% |
| teff | 8 | 29% |
| quinoa | 7 | 25% |
| amaranth | 6.7 | 24% |
| wild rice | 6.2 | 22% |
| brown rice | 3.6 | 13% |
| white rice | 2.8 | 10% |
On the other hand, quinoa is a great substitute of rice. It has a better nutritional value than rice, with a similar calorie content. For instance, quinoa is richer in protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and vitamin E than rice. In addition, quinoa has a much higher fiber than rice. Quinoa has 150% more fiber than white, and 94% more fiber than brown rice. Only wild rice has a similar fiber content to quinoa.
Common foods high in fiber
Only plant-based foods, like vegetables (e.g. eggplant), fruits (e.g. avocado, raisins), beans, legumes, whole-grains, mushrooms, seeds, and nuts (e.g. almonds, walnuts, peanuts), are good dietary sources of fiber.
Beans are the richest foods in fiber, though. For instance, a serving of lentils, chickpeas, or soybeans provides up to 55% of the DV.
Berries, like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries are particularly rich in fiber as well.
Animal-derived, like dairy, eggs, and meat, as well as refined foods are poor in fiber. They can’t help us meet our daily needs.
