We’re going to look at the nutritional content in spinach and broccoli side-by-side to see if either one is better than the other.
While there are significant differences, both are very healthy foods that most people should be eating more of.
Note that all data on this page is per 100 gram raw serving of each food.
Table of Contents
Nutritional Value Comparison of Spinach and Broccoli
We can start by looking at the macronutrients in both of these vegetables.
| Spinach | Broccoli | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy (kcal) | 23 | 34 |
| Protein (g) | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| Total Lipid (g) | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 3.6 | 6.6 |
| Fiber (g) | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Sugars (g) | 0.4 | 1.7 |
There aren’t any huge differences, but there are a few minor things we can note:
- Spinach is a bit higher in protein (especially per calorie), and has fewer carbohydrates.
- Broccoli has a bit more fiber.
- Broccoli is higher in sugar, but still has a small amount overall
The biggest thing is that both of these foods are very low in calories, and are still filling. It’s really hard to eat “too much” of them, which is part of why they are great to include in any weight loss diet.
Vitamins and Minerals in Spinach vs Broccoli
The table of vitamins and minerals below also has a column for RDA (recommended amount per day). This is just a general RDA for adults, your actual RDA may vary, but we can use this to sort the data.
| RDA | Spinach | Broccoli | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin K (µg) | 75 | 483.0 | 102.0 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 90 | 28.1 | 89.2 |
| Vitamin A (µg) | 900 | 469.0 | 31.0 |
| Folate (µg) | 400 | 194.0 | 63.0 |
| Manganese (mg) | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
| Potassium (mg) | 2000 | 558.0 | 316.0 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 400 | 79.0 | 21.0 |
| Iron (mg) | 18 | 2.7 | 0.7 |
| Riboflavin (mg) | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Vitamin B-6 (mg) | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 15 | 2.0 | 0.8 |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 700 | 49.0 | 66.0 |
| Calcium (mg) | 1200 | 99.0 | 47.0 |
| Thiamin (mg) | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Sodium (mg) | 1500 | 79.0 | 33.0 |
| Zinc (mg) | 11 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Selenium (µg) | 55 | 1.0 | 2.5 |
| Niacin (mg) | 16 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Choline (mg) | 550 | 19.3 | 18.7 |
| Copper (mg) | 900 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Vitamin B-12 (µg) | 2.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Vitamin D (µg) | 15 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Both spinach and broccoli have a ton of vitamins and minerals in them (they are both great vitamin K sources), however, spinach does have a stronger micronutrient profile overall.
Spinach has as about the same amount of every nutrient, and significantly more of:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Folate
- Manganese
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Vitamin E
Most of those are considered the most important ones to get, which makes spinach’s nutritional value even more useful.
Spinach vs Broccoli: Which is Healthier?
Both are extremely healthy foods, but spinach has significantly more nutritional value than broccoli.
Personally, spinach is one of the few foods that I think is worth consciously trying to incorporate as much into my diet as I can.
One note is that spinach is high in oxalates. Most people have no issues with these, but people with a history of kidney stones are often told to reduce the amount of oxalate they eat to reduce the risk of future kidney stones. This is a conversation to potentially have with your doctor if needed, but worth keeping in mind for everyone else at least.
