Basil vs Spinach - Health impact and Nutrition Comparison
Introduction
The basil plant with its round, pointed leaves often reminds us of peppermint. It is usually used as a seasoning herb for a wide variety of dishes and is often considered as “the king of herbs”. It goes without saying that this green is the main ingredient in pesto. Its flavored mixture with pine nuts and parmesan cheese is hard to forget. The amazing versatility of spinach has been familiar to culinary for a long time. In contrast to basil, which is used as seasoning, it is incorporated into our daily meal in a lot of forms, be it in a raw, boiled or cooked from and has numerous nutritional benefits.
Nutritional Content Comparison
Being high in water-soluble vitamins, minerals, fat-soluble vitamins and so on, spinach leaves basil behind. This leafy green contains 987% Vitamin K in contrast to the 98% of the other one. Other minerals and vitamins are low in basil compared to spinach as well, like manganese is 12% more and 84% more accordingly.
Health Impact
As a concerned individual who takes care of their health, you may ask; which is better? The second one appears to be part of more scientific studies. This study showed that it may reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. The case is that increased consumption of leafy and carotenoid vegetables leads to decreased risk of prostate cancer. Nonetheless, these two foods are high in many nutritious elements and are excellent for struggling against a number of health issues thanks to:
- Anti-bacterial properties
- Anti-inflammatory effects
- Anti-cancer properties
- Nutrients essential for cardiovascular health (due to magnesium)
SUMMARY
Summing up we should state that if we compare basil vs spinach
- Spinach is slightly richer in water-soluble vitamins and it appears to be a part of more scientific studies than basil then
- Although the difference in vitamin/mineral quantities is insignificant, spinach being richer in vitamins and basil being slightly richer in minerals than basil
Infographic
Mineral Comparison
Vitamin Comparison
Vitamin and Mineral Summary Scores
Macronutrients Comparison
Comparison summary table
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| Lower in glycemic index |
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| Lower in price |
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| Rich in vitamins |
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| Lower in Sugars |
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| Lower in Sodium |
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| Lower in Saturated Fat |
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| Lower in Cholesterol | Equal | ||
| Rich in minerals | Equal | ||
Which food is preferable in case of diets?
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| Low Calories diet | Equal | |
| Low Fats diet |
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| Low Carbs diet |
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| Low glycemic index diet |
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People also compare
Comparison summary
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
| Nutrient | |
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Opinion |
| Calories | 23 | 23 | |
| Protein | 3.15 | 2.86 |
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| Fats | 0.64 | 0.39 |
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| Vitamin C | 18 | 28.1 |
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| Carbs | 2.65 | 3.63 |
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| Cholesterol | 0 | 0 | |
| Vitamin D | 0 | 0 | |
| Iron | 3.17 | 2.71 |
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| Calcium | 177 | 99 |
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| Potassium | 295 | 558 |
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| Magnesium | 64 | 79 |
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| Sugars | 0.3 | 0.42 |
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| Fiber | 1.6 | 2.2 |
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| Copper | 0.385 | 0.13 |
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| Zinc | 0.81 | 0.53 |
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| Starch | |||
| Phosphorus | 56 | 49 |
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| Sodium | 4 | 79 |
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| Vitamin A | 5275 | 9377 |
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| Vitamin E | 0.8 | 2.03 |
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| Vitamin D | 0 | 0 | |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.034 | 0.078 |
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| Vitamin B2 | 0.076 | 0.189 |
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| Vitamin B3 | 0.902 | 0.724 |
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| Vitamin B5 | 0.209 | 0.065 |
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| Vitamin B6 | 0.155 | 0.195 |
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| Vitamin B12 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vitamin K | 414.8 | 482.9 |
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| Folic acid (B9) | 0 | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | 0 | 0 | |
| Saturated Fat | 0.041 | 0.063 |
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| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.088 | 0.01 |
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| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.389 | 0.165 |
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| Tryptophan | 0.039 | 0.039 | |
| Threonine | 0.104 | 0.122 |
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| Isoleucine | 0.104 | 0.147 |
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| Leucine | 0.191 | 0.223 |
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| Lysine | 0.11 | 0.174 |
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| Methionine | 0.036 | 0.053 |
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| Phenylalanine | 0.13 | 0.129 |
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| Valine | 0.127 | 0.161 |
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| Histidine | 0.051 | 0.064 |
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