Oats vs Quinoa: Which Is Less Inflammatory?
Oats
Quinoa
Neither oats nor quinoa is less inflammatory than the other: they score exactly the same. They land on the same number for different reasons, and that is the useful part.
Oats work through a soluble fibre that sets into a gel in your gut, and a bowl a day brings cholesterol down, which is one of the best established effects of any single food. Quinoa brings a full set of protein instead, something almost no other plant staple manages on its own. Use both, oats at breakfast and quinoa at dinner, and if gluten is a problem for you, buy oats labelled certified gluten free, because they are milled alongside wheat and a plain bag often arrives with gluten in it.
Side by side
| Oats | Quinoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Inflammation Score | Low · 2/10 | Low · 2/10 |
| Category | Grains | Grains |
| Serving size | 1/2 cup dry rolled oats (40 g) | 1 cup cooked (185 g) |
| Key nutrients | Beta-glucan, Avenanthramides, Manganese, Magnesium | Complete protein (lysine), Magnesium, Quercetin, Insoluble fibre |
| How often | Most mornings, half a cup dry, plain | Most days, a cup cooked, in place of a refined grain |
On the AIP diet
Oats
Oats are not allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol. The elimination phase takes out every grain, and oats go with the rest even though they carry no gluten of their own. Two things make them a harder case: almost all oats are milled alongside wheat, so a plain bag arrives with gluten unless certified, and oats carry avenin, a protein close enough to gluten that some coeliacs react to it too.
Quinoa
Quinoa is not allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol. Being a seed rather than a cereal sounds like it should get through a protocol built around grains, and it does not: AIP takes out seeds as well, and the saponins in quinoa's coat are exactly the plant defence the elimination phase clears out. The wait is shorter than for bread, because seeds come back early. Meanwhile cauliflower rice is the usual stand-in.
What each one brings
Oats
- Carry avenanthramides, polyphenols found in no other food, which also calm irritated skin
- Beta-glucan turns into a gel, so the starch arrives as sugar gradually
- A bowl a day brings cholesterol down, one of the best established effects of any food
- The fibre reaching the large intestine feeds the bacteria that keep the gut wall sealed
Quinoa
- A seed rather than a cereal, so it brings protein and minerals, not mostly starch
- Carries a full set of the amino acids the body cannot build, which few plants manage
- Gluten free in the seed itself, not because of anything done to it afterwards
- You eat the whole seed, so the magnesium, fibre and antioxidants in the coat stay
Watch out for
Oats
- Flavoured instant sachets can be a third sugar by weight, cancelling most of the point
- Oats are milled alongside wheat, so a plain bag carries gluten unless certified
- Oats have their own protein, avenin, and some coeliacs react to it too
- Still a starchy grain, so the portion decides a lot and it is easy to pour double
Quinoa
- The coat carries bitter saponins, so an unrinsed bag tastes faintly of soap
- Still a starchy side, and it is easy to serve a bowlful as though it were salad
- About 220 calories in a cooked cup, more than the same volume of vegetables
- Carries phytic acid, which holds on to part of the iron and zinc in the meal
Get the inflammation score of any meal
Just snap a photo or describe your food to get its inflammation score and uncover hidden patterns that may be affecting your well-being.
