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Basil vs. Spinach — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Article author photo Tatevik Stepanyan by Tatevik Stepanyan | Last updated on June 26, 2023
Medically reviewed by Igor Bussel Article author photo Igor Bussel

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
    1. Nutritional Content
      1. Macronutrients
        1. Vitamins
          1. Minerals
            1. Glycemic Index
            2. Health Impact
              1. Kidney Stones
              2. References
                Basil
                vs
                Spinach raw

                Summary

                Spinach has 2 times more vitamin A, vitamin E, and potassium. It is also richer in fiber and protein.

                On the other hand, basil has more calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin C, folate, and less sodium than spinach.

                Table of contents

                1. Introduction
                  1. Nutritional Content
                    1. Macronutrients
                      1. Vitamins
                        1. Minerals
                          1. Glycemic Index
                          2. Health Impact
                            1. Kidney Stones
                            2. References

                              Introduction

                              With its round, pointed leaves, the basil plant frequently reminds us of peppermint. It is usually used as a seasoning herb for various dishes and is often considered “the king of herbs.” This green is the main ingredient in pesto. Its flavored mixture of pine nuts and parmesan is hard to forget.

                              The amazing versatility of spinach has been familiar to the culinary world for centuries. In contrast to basil, used as a seasoning, it is incorporated into our daily meals in many forms, be it raw, boiled, or cooked, and has numerous nutritional benefits.

                              Nutritional Content

                              Macronutrients

                              Spinach has a slightly higher number of carbs than basil, containing 3.63g of carbs per 100g, whereas basil has 2.65g of carbs.

                              However, spinach is also higher in fiber. Basil is richer in protein.

                              Macronutrient Comparison

                              Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
                              Basil
                              Basil
                              3
                              3% 3% 92%
                              Protein: 3.15 g
                              Fats: 0.64 g
                              Carbs: 2.65 g
                              Water: 92.06 g
                              Other: 1.5 g
                              3% 4% 91% 2%
                              Protein: 2.86 g
                              Fats: 0.39 g
                              Carbs: 3.63 g
                              Water: 91.4 g
                              Other: 1.72 g
                              Contains more FatsFats +64.1%
                              Contains more CarbsCarbs +37%
                              Contains more OtherOther +14.7%
                              ~equal in Protein ~2.86g
                              ~equal in Water ~91.4g

                              Vitamins

                              Spinach contains more vitamins than basil.

                              Spinach has 2 times more vitamin A and vitamin E than basil. It also is higher in vitamin C, folate, and vitamin K.

                              Both greens do not contain vitamin D and vitamin B12.

                              Vitamin Comparison

                              Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
                              Basil
                              Basil
                              2
                              Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 60% 88% 16% 0% 8.5% 18% 17% 13% 36% 0% 1037% 51% 6.2%
                              Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 94% 156% 41% 0% 20% 44% 14% 3.9% 45% 0% 1207% 146% 11%
                              Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +24.6%
                              Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +221.5%
                              Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +56.1%
                              Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +77.7%
                              Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +153.8%
                              Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +129.4%
                              Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +148.7%
                              Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +25.8%
                              Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +16.4%
                              Contains more FolateFolate +185.3%
                              Contains more CholineCholine +69.3%
                              ~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
                              ~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

                              Minerals

                              In mineral content, basil is the winner, being richer in calcium, iron, phosphorus, and manganese. Basil is also lower in sodium.

                              100g of basil has 19 times less sodium than 100g of spinach.

                              Spinach, however, contains more potassium and magnesium.

                              Mineral Comparison

                              Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
                              Basil
                              Basil
                              7
                              Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 46% 53% 26% 119% 128% 22% 24% 0.52% 150% 1.6%
                              Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 56% 30% 49% 102% 43% 14% 21% 10% 117% 5.5%
                              Contains more CalciumCalcium +78.8%
                              Contains more IronIron +17%
                              Contains more CopperCopper +196.2%
                              Contains more ZincZinc +52.8%
                              Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +14.3%
                              Contains less SodiumSodium -94.9%
                              Contains more ManganeseManganese +28%
                              Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +23.4%
                              Contains more PotassiumPotassium +89.2%
                              Contains more SeleniumSelenium +233.3%

                              Glycemic Index

                              Even though both have low carb content, surprisingly, basil has a higher glycemic index than spinach.

                              The glycemic index of basil is equal to 70, while the gi of raw spinach is equal to 32.

                              Spinach is considered low glycemic index food.

                              Health Impact

                              As a concerned individual who cares for their health, you may ask, which is better?

                              Spinach appears to be part of more scientific studies. One study showed that it might reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer (1). 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 nutritional elements and are excellent for fighting against several health issues thanks to the following:

                              • Anti-bacterial properties (2, 3)
                              • Anti-inflammatory effects (4, 5)
                              • Anti-cancer properties (1, 6)
                              • Nutrients essential for cardiovascular health (due to magnesium and potassium contents)

                              Kidney Stones

                              Spinach contains oxalate, meaning that spinach may increase the chance of oxalate stone formation.

                              Increased oxalate consumption is associated with an increased risk of kidney stone development (7).

                              However, since oxalate is a water-soluble compound boiling and cooking vegetables more often reduces the oxalate content by more than 50%. (8)

                              References

                              1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209415/
                              2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12744643/
                              3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336568422
                              4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316307034
                              5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7399895/
                              6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3700662/
                              7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30566003/ 
                              8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15826055/
                              Article author photo Tatevik Stepanyan
                              Education: Food Blogger
                              Last updated: June 26, 2023
                              Medically reviewed by Igor Bussel

                              Infographic

                              Basil vs Spinach raw infographic
                              Infographic link

                              All nutrients comparison - raw data values

                              Nutrient Basil Spinach raw DV% diff.
                              Vitamin K 414.8µg 482.9µg 57%
                              Folate 68µg 194µg 32%
                              Copper 0.385mg 0.13mg 28%
                              Vitamin A 264µg 469µg 23%
                              Vitamin C 18mg 28.1mg 11%
                              Manganese 1.148mg 0.897mg 11%
                              Vitamin B2 0.076mg 0.189mg 9%
                              Vitamin E 0.8mg 2.03mg 8%
                              Calcium 177mg 99mg 8%
                              Potassium 295mg 558mg 8%
                              Iron 3.17mg 2.71mg 6%
                              Vitamin B1 0.034mg 0.078mg 4%
                              Magnesium 64mg 79mg 4%
                              Vitamin B6 0.155mg 0.195mg 3%
                              Zinc 0.81mg 0.53mg 3%
                              Sodium 4mg 79mg 3%
                              Vitamin B5 0.209mg 0.065mg 3%
                              Fiber 1.6g 2.2g 2%
                              Phosphorus 56mg 49mg 1%
                              Choline 11.4mg 19.3mg 1%
                              Selenium 0.3µg 1µg 1%
                              Protein 3.15g 2.86g 1%
                              Polyunsaturated fat 0.389g 0.165g 1%
                              Vitamin B3 0.902mg 0.724mg 1%
                              Calories 23kcal 23kcal 0%
                              Fats 0.64g 0.39g 0%
                              Carbs 2.65g 3.63g 0%
                              Net carbs 1.05g 1.43g N/A
                              Sugar 0.3g 0.42g N/A
                              Saturated fat 0.041g 0.063g 0%
                              Monounsaturated fat 0.088g 0.01g 0%
                              Tryptophan 0.039mg 0.039mg 0%
                              Threonine 0.104mg 0.122mg 0%
                              Isoleucine 0.104mg 0.147mg 0%
                              Leucine 0.191mg 0.223mg 0%
                              Lysine 0.11mg 0.174mg 0%
                              Methionine 0.036mg 0.053mg 0%
                              Phenylalanine 0.13mg 0.129mg 0%
                              Valine 0.127mg 0.161mg 0%
                              Histidine 0.051mg 0.064mg 0%
                              Fructose 0.02g 0.15g 0%

                              Fat Type Comparison

                              Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
                              Basil
                              Basil
                              3
                              8% 17% 75%
                              Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.041 g
                              Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.088 g
                              Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.389 g
                              26% 4% 69%
                              Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.063 g
                              Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.01 g
                              Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.165 g
                              Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -34.9%
                              Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +780%
                              Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +135.8%

                              Carbohydrate type comparison

                              Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
                              Basil
                              Basil
                              1
                              6% 6% 87%
                              Starch: 0 g
                              Sucrose: 0 g
                              Glucose: 0.02 g
                              Fructose: 0.02 g
                              Lactose: 0 g
                              Maltose: 0 g
                              Galactose: 0.27 g
                              16% 26% 35% 23%
                              Starch: 0 g
                              Sucrose: 0.07 g
                              Glucose: 0.11 g
                              Fructose: 0.15 g
                              Lactose: 0 g
                              Maltose: 0 g
                              Galactose: 0.1 g
                              Contains more GalactoseGalactose +170%
                              Contains more SucroseSucrose +∞%
                              Contains more GlucoseGlucose +450%
                              Contains more FructoseFructose +650%
                              ~equal in Starch ~0g
                              ~equal in Lactose ~0g
                              ~equal in Maltose ~0g

                              References

                              All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

                              1. Basil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172232/nutrients
                              2. Spinach raw - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168462/nutrients

                              All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

                              Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.