Couscous vs Quinoa

JtKeil

Quinoa is delicious, couscous is not. Therefore quinoa wins.

xixshaiyaxix

I agree that it depends on the recipe and how its prepared. I have only tasted Quinoa once but the way it was prepared made me literally spit it into my napkin (politely). I will have to try it out some day in a better recipe. I haven't tasted Couscous, but I understand it is a form of pasta.

_Zardoz_

I've never got this idea that people seem to have that one food should provide an inordinate amount of nutrition. Unless you're only eating one food all the time (which most normal people don't) its a pretty silly argument. Eat a balanced diet and you'll get the nutrition you need. As for Quinoa or Couscous eat the one you like. Personally the texture of quinoa is rather disturbing to me so I don't normally eat it. Also I know how to pronounce couscous. Just don't over complicate things and get fixated on one food if you like it eat it

vivibelle1

All, I found my info by entering "couscous nutrition", and "quinoa nutrition" within the Google search engine.

The answer comes up on the first page of results, within a large box on the right side of your screen.

48g of protein and 48g of fiber in one cup.

6g of protein and 2.2g of fiber in one cup.

Of course, this is one cup of uncooked quinoa, and one cup of cooked couscous, which may skew the stats a bit.

Still, quinoa has a much larger percentage of protein, fiber, potassium, iron, B-6, and magnesium than couscous.

Nutrition Facts
Quinoa, uncooked
Amount Per 1 cup (170 g)
Calories 625
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10 g 15%
Saturated fat 1.2 g 6%
Polyunsaturated fat 6 g
Monounsaturated fat 2.7 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 9 mg 0%
Potassium 957 mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 109 g 36%
Dietary fiber 12 g 48%
Protein 24 g 48%
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 8% Iron 43%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 40%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 83%

Nutrition Facts
Couscous
Amount Per 1 cup, cooked (157 g)
Calories 176
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.2 g 0%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 8 mg 0%
Potassium 91 mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 36 g 12%
Dietary fiber 2.2 g 8%
Sugar 0.2 g
Protein 6 g 12%
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 1% Iron 3%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 5%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 3%

dayone987

All, I found my info by entering "couscous nutrition", and "quinoa nutrition" within the Google search engine.

The answer comes up on the first page of results, within a large box on the right side of your screen.

48g of protein and 48g of fiber in one cup.

6g of protein and 2.2g of fiber in one cup.

Of course, this is one cup of uncooked quinoa, and one cup of cooked couscous, which may skew the stats a bit.

Still, quinoa has a much larger percentage of protein, fiber, potassium, iron, B-6, and magnesium than couscous.

Nutrition Facts
Quinoa, uncooked
Amount Per 1 cup (170 g)
Calories 625
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10 g 15%
Saturated fat 1.2 g 6%
Polyunsaturated fat 6 g
Monounsaturated fat 2.7 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 9 mg 0%
Potassium 957 mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 109 g 36%
Dietary fiber 12 g 48%
Protein 24 g 48%
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 8% Iron 43%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 40%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 83%

Nutrition Facts
Couscous
Amount Per 1 cup, cooked (157 g)
Calories 176
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.2 g 0%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 8 mg 0%
Potassium 91 mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 36 g 12%
Dietary fiber 2.2 g 8%
Sugar 0.2 g
Protein 6 g 12%
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 1% Iron 3%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 5%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 3%

The cooked vs uncooked skews the stats more than a "bit"

When you compare cooked with cooked, the protein is about the same.

vivibelle1

Untrue. Even if couscous were to expand at twice its size from uncooked to cooked, the nutritional value of quinoa would still be twice that of couscous.

melimomTARDIS

Quinoa has the worst texture...it's just not good to me. Expensive too.

I like white rice, especially uncle bens converted or Carolina gold. Yay resistant starches!

ursula130

both! depends on what you cook either one is just fine, especially if they are nutritionally similar. great replacement for when rice becomes boring.

littlelily613

Quinoa is definitely the healthier option since couscous is a type of wheat pasta (usually white unless you specifically get whole wheat). Personally I HATE the texture of couscous, though I might like Israeli couscous which is bigger...haven't tried that one before.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

Eat both or just eat couscous. They do have the similar macros. What matters most is that you meet your macro and calorie goals, and nothing else. If you enjoy couscous then this is the BEST choice for you because you are more likely to stick to your plan. It makes no sense at all to eat quinoa if you don't like it or think it's too expensive.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

Quinoa is a complete protein (Google it if you don't know what that means), which is hard to come by if you don't eat much on the way of animal products. Far superior to couscous, which as already stated is just tiny balls of pasta.

So, if your diet is replete with complete proteins, eat what you prefer: cous cous.

I, personally, eat meat once or twice a year, and less dairy than the average person. I love quinoa, so in my case, quinoa is a good choice for me.

Jelaan

I love quinoa. We eat the white, red and black quinoa, a blend of all three in a salad looks really pretty. I like the fact that you can eat it hot or cold, or for breakfast instead of oatmeal. I eat very little meat so it is a good way to up my protein. For those who haven't tried it just be sure to rinse it really well before using it, it improves the smell and taste. Now if I could just convince the kids that it is yummy lol. For the person who hadn't tried Israeli couscous, it is delicious and has a very different texture to regular couscous.

FredDoyle

Just a note. Quinoa is not a grain. It's the seed of a chenopod plant in the goosefoot family.
I believe it's the only seed that has all the essential amino acids.

sarahsedai

shireeniebeanie

Untrue. Even if couscous were to expand at twice its size from uncooked to cooked, the nutritional value of quinoa would still be twice that of couscous.

Quinoa expands to roughly quadruple its size when cooked. The only fair comparison between the two would be when dry, with no variance for cooking method.

krmsotherhalf68

Couscous is a pasta product just like macaroni or spaghetti, just really small and round. Quinoa is a whole grain. The quinoa is great to add to a vegan/vegetarian meal because it's high in protein. I use quinoa as a side dish or as a main dish when I want a meatless meal.

Although quinoa can be more costly than couscous, the added protein is worth the price to me. That being said, they do have whole grain versions of couscous that add a bit more nutrition to the diet, but it cannot compare to quinoa where protein is concerned.

PrizePopple

I like both. DH and the kids are not fans of quinoa so much though.

This thread made me get some homemade chicken stock from the freezer to make quinoa for lunch though! :laugh:

Curtruns

I like quinoa, I like couscous, I like rice, I like pasta, I like potatoes, I like steel cut oats, I like crushed oats, I like bread....etc etc etc. I enjoy food and vary my diet so I don't get bored with any one thing. At the end of the week, I have usually met my macro needs regardless of how I did on any given day. Point is, quit looking for the "ideal" food and try the vast variety of food that is provided to you by the wonders of modern transportation!

The difference between what I will eat and what I won't eat is three days!!!:laugh:

Fit_Happens_2021

Here's what I find confusing in this discussion - an earlier post mentioned that couscous being pasta will turn to sugar fast in your stomach, but quinoa being a plant won't, and yet when I look up the nutritional data for 1 cup of cooked couscous and one cup of cooked quinoa they both have the same glycemic load of 18.

- The first link is for couscous, and second one is quinoa.
Can anyone explain this? I have been trying to learn about glycemic load recently.

- nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5699/2
- nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2

SpockAdventures

Quinoa is all protein - not a starch. Couscous is all starch. If you are watching your carbs, go with quinoa. It gives you the satisfaction of rice or couscous, but none of the carbs!