A Veggie Versus comparison guide
Spinach vs broccoli: read beyond one nutrient
An equal-weight comparison of two raw vegetables shows why there is no single winner for every nutrient.
One comparison, several different answers
A single score hides the question being asked. If you want to compare vitamin C, the result can differ from a comparison of iron or vitamin K. The records here are raw spinach and raw broccoli, with an equal edible weight of 100 g.
| Nutrient | Spinach · 100 g | Broccoli · 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 23 kcal | 34 kcal |
| Protein | 2.86 g | 2.82 g |
| Fibre | 2.2 g | 2.6 g |
| Vitamin C | 28.1 mg | 89.2 mg |
| Vitamin K | 483 µg | 102 µg |
| Folate, total | 194 µg | 63 µg |
| Iron | 2.71 mg | 0.73 mg |
| Calcium | 99 mg | 47 mg |
Read across one nutrient at a time
In these records, broccoli contains more vitamin C per 100 g. Spinach contains more iron, folate and vitamin K per 100 g. Protein and fibre show smaller absolute differences. A statement that one is “more nutritious” would need to explain how these different nutrients were weighted and why that weighting should matter to you.
Veggie Versus leaves those values separate. Sorting the catalogue by iron answers “which selected record has more iron per 100 g?” It does not answer “which food should I eat?” or “which food will give me more absorbed iron?”
A raw record does not describe a cooked portion
These figures are useful for raw edible weights, such as ingredients weighed before making a salad. If you steam broccoli or wilt spinach, the final food has a different water balance, and some nutrients may change with preparation. Multiplying this raw record by the weight of the cooked food is not a reliable substitute for choosing a matching cooked record.
The current catalogue does not include cooked spinach or cooked broccoli. We keep the preparation visible rather than silently substituting a raw food. If those are the forms you need, follow the USDA record links and search for a preparation that matches your meal.
Change the portion to match the question
Try 30 g of spinach against 100 g of broccoli in the tool. These are illustrative weights, not prescribed portions. The spinach values become 30% of their per-100-g figures, while the broccoli values stay the same. A comparison of what actually goes on your plate can therefore look different from the equal-weight table.
Know what this tool leaves out
The database reports nutrient content, not a measured health outcome from eating a food. The tool does not model absorption, individual requirements, interactions with medicines, or nutrients outside the displayed fields. A zero means the selected record reports zero; “Not reported” means there is no amount for that field in our import.
Use the comparison to understand the numbers and ask a more precise question. It is not a diagnostic tool or a way to design a treatment diet. If you need advice about a medical condition, a database comparison cannot replace advice tailored to you.
Try these portions in the comparison tool →
Sources & calculation notes
USDA SR Legacy, final release April 2018. Calculations and interpretation prepared for Veggie Versus with AI assistance; no laboratory testing or clinical review is claimed. Full method · Suggest a correction