Nutrition In Five Ounces Of Cooked Quinoa

Quinoa, whose scientific name is Chenopodium quinoa Willd, can help you increase the variety of healthy foods in your diet. Cooked quinoa is a versatile grain you can eat with a variety of foods, and it is a source of many essential nutrients. If you eat other foods with quinoa, remember to count the additional calories and nutrients to get accurate totals for your meal.

Cooked quinoa contains 168 calories in a serving size of 5 oz., or 140 g. A diet high in whole grains might lower your risk for heart disease, and you should get at least half of your grains from whole grain sources, such as quinoa, to meet recommendations in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Quinoa is free from gluten, so it is safe to eat if you have gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

Macronutrients

A 5 oz. portion of cooked quinoa provides 2.7 g total fat, and it is free of cholesterol. The grain has 6 g protein per 5-oz. serving, and it's high-quality protein. This means it supplies each of the essential amino acids you need to get from the diet. Quinoa has nearly 30 g total carbs, including 25 g of starch.

Dietary Fiber

Each serving of quinoa supplies 3.9 g dietary fiber. Dietary fiber comes from the parts of plant foods that your body cannot digest, and healthy individuals should aim for at least 14 g of fiber for each 1,000 calories you eat, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A high-fiber diet helps lower your cholesterol and prevent constipation. Other whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts also provide fiber.

Vitamins and Minerals

If you cook your quinoa in water without adding salt, a 5 oz. serving will contain only 10 mg of sodium. A low-sodium, high-potassium diet helps control blood pressure, and quinoa contains 241 mg of potassium. The serving also provides 2 mg of iron and 1.5 mg of zinc, or at least 10 percent of the daily value for these minerals, as well as 90 mg of magnesium, or 23 percent of the daily value. Quinoa is a good source of thiamine, or vitamin B-1, and folate, another B-vitamin.