Healthy Salad Ingredients and Greens Nutrient Comparisons

Kale has become very popular in recipes and salads. There are now a wide range of leafy greens available in convenient ready to use packs and lots of options for growing your own in pots or in your own garden.

But, what is the most nutritious of the common leafy greens that is available apart from the lettuces?

Many of the these leafy greens can be used for pesto, salads, pies and flans, dropped into stir fries and curries, and even added to pizzas.

Surprisingly, it is hard to find comparable nutrition data in a convenient form.

This article presents detailed nutrition information for Kale, Baby Spinach, Mustard greens, Swiss chard (silverbeet), Collard greens, Arugula (Rocket), Endive and Watercress.

An overall nutrient rating has been developed by giving an equal weight to the major nutrients such as protein, fiber, calories, vitamins and minerals. These scores were added to produce an overall ranking.

This score was simplified as a percentage relative to the leafy green with the highest score - Kale.

Also included are the top five ranking leafy greens for 17 of the most important nutrients.

So, now you can choose the healthiest leafy green overall and the one with the highest nutrient that you are targeting in making healthy choices.

Comparison of the Nutrients Data for Common Leafy Greens

The table below provides details nutrition data for the commonly available leafy greens. Giving an equal weighting to 17 of the more important nutrients and adding the scores was used to provide and overall ranking. This was expressed as a percentage of the score for kale, the highest ranking leafy green vegetable. The scores for the 8 leafy greens included in the study were:

► Kale 100%
► Baby Spinach 85%
► Mustard greens 81%
► Swiss chard (silverbeet) 68%
► Collard greens 61%
► Arugula (Rocket) 50%
► Endive 50%
► Watercress 39%

Baby Spinach and Kale come out as clear winners over Rocket, Water Cress and Endive.

Ranking of Leafy Green for Individual Nutrients.

The table below provides the top 5 ranked leafy greens for 17 nutrients.

Certain vegetables are 'stars' for particular nutrients. A summary of the ranking for each leafy vegetable is proved below. Also shown is a summary of the macro nutrients in 100g serving. Iceberg lettuce is included at the end for comparison.

► Kale

Kale ranks first or second for protein, Vitamins B, A, C and K; and also for the minerals: copper, manganese. It also has the highest ranks for the two antioxidants - beta Carotene and Lutein-zeaxanthin.

Nutrition Summary for Kale

Energy (Cals) 50
Calorie breakdown: 71% carbs, 12% fat, 17% protein
Carbs (g) 10.01
Protein (g) 3.30
Total Fat (g) 0.70
Dietary Fiber (g) 2.00

► Baby Spinach

Baby spinach is a good 'all-rounder' with top 3 ranks for: protein, folates, Vitamins A and E, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, beta carotene and Lutein-zeaxanthin

Nutrition Summary for Baby Spinach

Energy (Cals) 23
Calorie breakdown: 56% carbs, 14% fat, 30% protein.
Carbs (g) 3.63
Protein (g) 2.86
Total Fat (g) 0.39
Dietary Fiber (g) 2.20

► Swiss Chard (silverbeet)

Swiss Chard (silverbeet) has low calories and high levels of the B-group vitamins and vitamin K. It also ranks well for minerals such as magnesium, iron and copper.

Nutrition Summary for Swiss Chard (silverbeet)

Energy (Cals) 19
Calorie breakdown: 70% carbs, 9% fat, 21% protein
Carbs (g) 3.74
Protein (g) 3.27
Total Fat (g) 0.20
Dietary Fiber (g) 1.60

► Arugula (rocket)

Arugula (rocket) has good level of calcium, magnesium and zinc, but has low levels of vitamins.

Nutrition Summary for Arugula (rocket)

Energy (Cals) 25
Calorie breakdown: 52% carbs, 22% fat, 26% protein.
Carbs (g) 3.65
Protein (g) 2.58
Total Fat (g) 0.66
Dietary Fiber (g) 1.60

► Collard greens

Collard greens rank highly for fiber, Vitamins E, K, calcium and beta carotene

Nutrition Summary for Collard Greens

Energy (Cals) 30
Calorie breakdown: 70% carbs, 16% fat, 14% protein
Carbs (g) 5.69
Protein (g) 2.45
Total Fat (g) 0.42
Dietary Fiber (g) 3.60

► Endive

Endive ranks second for low calories and has top 3 ranking for fiber, Vitamins B and Zinc.

Nutrition Summary for Endive

Energy (Cals) 17
Calorie breakdown: 70% carbs, 10% fat, 20% protein.
Carbs (g) 3.35
Protein (g) 1.25
Total Fat (g) 0.20
Dietary Fiber (g) 3.10

► Mustard Greens

Mustard greens has a top 3 ranking for fiber, folates, Vitamins A, C, E, and Copper, manganese, beta carotene and Lutein-zeaxanthin.

Nutrition Summary for Mustard Greens

Energy (Cals) 26
Calorie breakdown: 67% carbs, 6% fat, 27% protein
Carbs (g) 4.90
Protein (g) 2.70
Total Fat (g) 0.20
Dietary Fiber (g) 3.30

► Watercress

Watercress has the lowest calories for a 100g serving (only 11 Calories) and also ranks third for Vitamin C (after kale and mustard greens). However it has low ranks for minerals and the other vitamins.

Nutrition Summary for Watercress

Energy (Cals) 11
Calorie breakdown: 42% carbs, 8% fat, 50% protein
Carbs (g) 1.29
Protein (g) 2.30
Total Fat (g) 0.10
Dietary Fiber (g) 0.50

► Iceberg Lettuce

Nutrition Summary for Iceberg Lettuce

Energy (Cals) 14
Calorie breakdown: 71% carbs, 8% fat, 21% protein
Carbs (g) 2.97
Protein (g) 0.9
Total Fat (g) 0.14
Dietary Fiber (g) 1.20

Nutrients	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Calories (lowest)	Watercress	Endive	Swiss chard (silverbeet)	Baby Spinach	Arugula (Rocket)
protein	Kale	Swiss chard (silverbeet)	Baby Spinach	Mustard greens	Arugula (Rocket)
fiber	Collard greens	Mustard greens	Endive	Baby Spinach	Kale
folates	Baby Spinach	Mustard greens	Collard greens	Endive	Arugula (Rocket)
Vitamin B	Swiss chard (silverbeet)	Kale	Endive	Mustard greens	Collard greens
Vitamin A	Kale	Mustard greens	Baby Spinach	Collard greens	Swiss chard (silverbeet)
Vitamin C	Kale	Mustard greens	Watercress	Collard greens	Swiss chard (silverbeet)
Vitamin E	Collard greens	Baby Spinach	Mustard greens	Swiss chard (silverbeet)	Watercress
Vitamin K	Swiss chard (silverbeet)	Kale	Collard greens	Mustard greens	Baby Spinach
Calcium	Arugula (Rocket)	Collard greens	Kale	Watercress	Mustard greens
Copper	Kale	Swiss chard (silverbeet)	Mustard greens	Baby Spinach	Endive
Iron	Baby Spinach	Swiss chard (silverbeet)	Kale	Mustard greens	Arugula (Rocket)
Magnesium	Swiss chard (silverbeet)	Baby Spinach	Arugula (Rocket)	Kale	Mustard greens
Manganese	Baby Spinach	Kale	Mustard greens	Endive	Swiss chard (silverbeet)
Zinc	Endive	Baby Spinach	Arugula (Rocket)	Kale	Swiss chard (silverbeet)
Carotene-beta	Kale	Mustard greens	Baby Spinach	Collard greens	Swiss chard (silverbeet)
Lutein-zeaxanthin	Kale	Baby Spinach	Swiss chard (silverbeet)	Mustard greens	Collard greens

Detailed Listing of Nutrients for 100g of Common Leafy Vegetables

Nutrients Serving 100g	Kale	Baby Spinach	Mustard greens	Swiss chard (silver-beet)	Collard greens	Arugula (Rocket)	Endive	Watercress
Overall rating (%)	100	85	81	68	61	50	50	39
Energy	50	23	26	19	30	25	17	11
Carbs g	10.01	3.63	4.90	3.74	5.69	3.65	3.35	1.29
Protein g	3.30	2.86	2.70	3.27	2.45	2.58	1.25	2.30
Total Fat g	0.70	0.39	0.20	0.20	0.42	0.66	0.20	0.10
Dietary Fiber g	2.00	2.20	3.30	1.60	3.60	1.60	3.10	0.50
Vitamins	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****
Folates mcg	29	194	187	14	166	97	142	9
Niacin mg	1.00	0.72	0.80	0.40	0.74	0.31	0.40	0.20
Panto. Acid mg	0.09	0.07	0.21	0.17	0.27	0.44	0.90	0.31
Pyridoxine mg	0.27	0.20	0.18	0.99	0.17	0.07	0.02	0.13
Riboflavin mg	0.13	0.19	0.11	0.09	0.13	0.09	0.08	0.12
Thiamin mg	0.11	0.08	0.08	0.04	0.05	0.04	0.08	0.09
Vitamin A IU	15376	9377	10500	6116	6668	2373	2167	3191
Vitamin C mg	120	28	70	30	35	15	7	43
Vitamin E mg		2.03	2.01	1.89	2.26	0.43	0.44	1.00
Vitamin K mcg	817	483	497	830	511	109	231	250
Electrolytes	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****
Sodium mg	43.00	79.00	25.00	213.00	20.00	27.00	22.00	41.00
Potassium mg	447	558	354	379	169	369	314	330
Minerals	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****
Calcium mg	135	99	103	51	145	160	52	120
Copper mg	0.29	0.13	0.15	0.18	0.04	0.08	0.10	0.08
Iron mg	1.70	2.71	1.46	1.80	0.19	1.46	0.83	0.20
Magnesium mg	34	79	32	81	9	47	15	21
Manganese mg	0.77	0.90	0.48	0.37	0.28	0.32	0.42	0.24
Phosphorus mg	56			46		52	28	60
Selenium mcg	0.90		0.90	0.90	1.30	0.30	0.20	0.90
Zinc	0.44	0.53	0.20	0.39	0.13	0.47	0.79	0.11
Phyto-nutrients	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****	*****
Carotene-beta mcg	9226	5626	6300	3647	3842	1424	1300	1914
Lutein-zeaxanthin mcg	39550	12198	9900	11000	8932	3555	0	5767