Protein, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, calories and food composition explained with practical context.
White, red, and black quinoa share a very similar basic nutrition profile. Darker varieties often contain more phenolic compounds and hold their shape more firmly after cooking, while white quinoa is usually softer and milder. The exact cultivar can matter more than color alone.
Kombucha is made by fermenting sweetened tea with a community of bacteria and yeasts, often associated with a cellulose pellicle called a SCOBY. Some sugar is converted into organic acids, carbon dioxide, and small amounts of alcohol, but the final composition varies widely.
Kimchi and sauerkraut share lactic-acid fermentation, but they are not the same food. Traditional sauerkraut is mainly cabbage and salt. Kimchi usually adds napa cabbage, radish, garlic, ginger, scallions, and chile, creating a different flavor and micronutrient profile.
Plain skyr usually stands out for protein, often around 10–11 g per 100 g. Plain yogurt and milk kefir are commonly closer to 3–5 g per 100 g. Fat, sugar, and calcium vary enough by brand that the Nutrition Facts panel still matters.
Kefir is a fermented milk drink made with a mixed community of bacteria and yeasts traditionally housed in kefir grains. During fermentation some lactose is converted into lactic acid and other compounds, while milk protein, calcium, and many micronutrients remain.
Milk kefir and water kefir both rely on communities of bacteria and yeasts, but they are not nutritionally interchangeable. Milk kefir starts with milk and keeps much of its protein and calcium. Water kefir starts with sweetened water, so its final composition depends heavily on the recipe and how far fermentation proceeds.
Kefir fermentation reduces lactose because bacteria and yeasts use part of it as fuel. That may make kefir easier to tolerate for some people, but ordinary milk kefir still contains dairy and should not be assumed to be lactose-free.
On a dry-weight basis, oats and quinoa are surprisingly close in protein at about 13–14 g per 100 g. Oats usually provide around 10 g fiber versus roughly 7 g for quinoa and contain beta-glucan soluble fiber. Quinoa stands out for its amino-acid balance and natural gluten-free status.
Dark chocolate usually contains more cocoa mass and less sugar, but it is not a low-calorie food. A 70–85% dark chocolate may be around 600 calories and 20–30 g sugar per 100 g, while milk chocolate is often near 530–550 calories and about 50 g sugar. Brands vary substantially.
Plain yogurt and milk kefir are nutritionally more alike than social media sometimes suggests. When made from similar milk, both provide comparable protein, calcium, and fat. The bigger difference is fermentation: yogurt uses defined bacterial cultures, while traditional kefir combines lactic-acid bacteria, other bacteria, and yeasts.
Sourdough fermentation creates real biochemical differences, including organic acids and phytate breakdown. Those effects can matter, but a white sourdough does not acquire the fiber of whole-grain bread simply because it was fermented longer.
Among common vegetables, raw spinach provides about 2.7 mg iron per 100 g, beet greens about 2.6 mg, asparagus near 2.1 mg, and Swiss chard around 1.8 mg. These are total-iron numbers; vegetable iron is nonheme and is generally absorbed less efficiently than heme iron.