Nutrition Faceoff: Kale vs. Spinach

We often talk about including plenty of dark green leafy vegetables in your diet. For this month’s nutrition faceoff, we take a closer look at two popular dark leafy  greens – kale and spinach – to see whether there is a clear winner.

Nutrition Faceoff: Kale vs. Spinach

	Kale	Spinach
Serving size	100 g (3.5 oz) raw	100 g (3.5 oz) raw
Calories	49 kcal	23 kcal
Carbohydrates	8.8 g	3.6 g
Fat	0.9 g	0.4 g
Protein	4.3 g	2.9 g
Fiber	3.1 g	2.2 g
Calcium	150 mg	99 mg
Iron	1.5 g	2.7 g
Magnesium	47 mg	79 mg
Potassium	491 mg	558 mg
Folate	31 mcg	194 mcg
Vitamin A	500 mcg (9990 IU)	469 mcg (9377 IU)
Vitamin C	120 mg	28.1 mg
Vitamin K	704.8 mcg	482.9 mcg
Lutein + zeaxanthin	8198 mcg	12198 mcg
Beta-carotene	5927 mcg	5626 mcg

Nutrition Faceoff: Kale vs. Spinach – Dietitian’s Take

While these two vegetables are both great choices, here are some highlights:

• Kale has more calories per 100 g serving than spinach. It should be noted that both vegetables are still very low-cal choices.
• Kale has higher levels of fiber, calcium, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K than spinach. However, spinach has higher levels of iron, magnesium, potassium, and folate. Both vegetables contain comparable amounts of Vitamin A.
• In addition to antioxidant vitamins (A and C), both vegetables are also rich sources of antioxidant phytonutrients such as lutein and beta-carotene. Spinach is higher in lutein and zeaxanthin, while kale is higher in beta-carotene.

Our Pick: It’s A Tie!

With so many nutrients packed into so few calories, you cannot go wrong choosing either one of these green leafy vegetables and including them regularly in your diet. Keep in mind that some water-soluble nutrients are lost to cooking liquid, and some phytonutrients are affected by heat. If you choose to cook your leafy greens, do so with minimal liquid (such as steaming or quick sauteing instead of boiling) and keep cooking time short.