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Basil vs. Watercress — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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A recap on differences between Basil and Watercress

  • Basil has more Vitamin K, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Folate, Vitamin A, Magnesium, Zinc, and Calcium, however, Watercress is higher in Vitamin C.
  • Basil covers your daily Vitamin K needs 137% more than Watercress.
  • Watercress contains 16 times less Iron than Basil. Basil contains 3.17mg of Iron, while Watercress contains 0.2mg.

Food varieties used in this article are Basil, fresh and Watercress, raw.

Infographic

Basil vs Watercress infographic
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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
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 15% 36% 29% 7.5% 26% 3% 26% 5.3% 32% 4.9%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +204.8%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +47.5%
Contains more IronIron +1485%
Contains more CopperCopper +400%
Contains more ZincZinc +636.4%
Contains less SodiumSodium -90.2%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +370.5%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +11.9%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +200%
~equal in Phosphorus ~60mg

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
6
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% 317% 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 143% 191% 20% 0% 23% 28% 3.8% 19% 30% 0% 625% 6.8% 4.9%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +65.3%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +351%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +20.2%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +65.9%
Contains more FolateFolate +655.6%
Contains more CholineCholine +26.7%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +138.9%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +25%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +164.7%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +57.9%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +48.3%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Basil
4
3% 3% 92%
Protein: 3.15 g
Fats: 0.64 g
Carbs: 2.65 g
Water: 92.06 g
Other: 1.5 g
2% 95%
Protein: 2.3 g
Fats: 0.1 g
Carbs: 1.29 g
Water: 95.11 g
Other: 1.2 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +37%
Contains more FatsFats +540%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +105.4%
Contains more OtherOther +25%
~equal in Water ~95.11g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Basil
2
8% 17% 75%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.041 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.088 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.389 g
39% 11% 50%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.027 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.008 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.035 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +1000%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +1011.4%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -34.1%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Basil Watercress
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Lower in price ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Cholesterol Equal
Rich in minerals Equal
Rich in vitamins Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Basil Watercress Opinion
Calories 23kcal 11kcal Basil
Protein 3.15g 2.3g Basil
Fats 0.64g 0.1g Basil
Vitamin C 18mg 43mg Watercress
Net carbs 1.05g 0.79g Basil
Carbs 2.65g 1.29g Basil
Magnesium 64mg 21mg Basil
Calcium 177mg 120mg Basil
Potassium 295mg 330mg Watercress
Iron 3.17mg 0.2mg Basil
Sugar 0.3g 0.2g Watercress
Fiber 1.6g 0.5g Basil
Copper 0.385mg 0.077mg Basil
Zinc 0.81mg 0.11mg Basil
Phosphorus 56mg 60mg Watercress
Sodium 4mg 41mg Basil
Vitamin A 5275IU 3191IU Basil
Vitamin A 264µg 160µg Basil
Vitamin E 0.8mg 1mg Watercress
Manganese 1.148mg 0.244mg Basil
Selenium 0.3µg 0.9µg Watercress
Vitamin B1 0.034mg 0.09mg Watercress
Vitamin B2 0.076mg 0.12mg Watercress
Vitamin B3 0.902mg 0.2mg Basil
Vitamin B5 0.209mg 0.31mg Watercress
Vitamin B6 0.155mg 0.129mg Basil
Vitamin K 414.8µg 250µg Basil
Folate 68µg 9µg Basil
Choline 11.4mg 9mg Basil
Saturated Fat 0.041g 0.027g Watercress
Monounsaturated Fat 0.088g 0.008g Basil
Polyunsaturated fat 0.389g 0.035g Basil
Tryptophan 0.039mg 0.03mg Basil
Threonine 0.104mg 0.133mg Watercress
Isoleucine 0.104mg 0.093mg Basil
Leucine 0.191mg 0.166mg Basil
Lysine 0.11mg 0.134mg Watercress
Methionine 0.036mg 0.02mg Basil
Phenylalanine 0.13mg 0.114mg Basil
Valine 0.127mg 0.137mg Watercress
Histidine 0.051mg 0.04mg Basil
Fructose 0.02g Basil

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Basil Watercress
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
121%
Basil
84%
Watercress
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
57%
Basil
18%
Watercress

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Watercress
Watercress is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.1g)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Watercress
Watercress is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.014g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Watercress
Watercress is lower in glycemic index (difference - 38)
Which food is cheaper?
Watercress
Watercress is cheaper (difference - $2.8)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Basil
Basil contains less Sodium (difference - 37mg)
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)
Which food is richer in minerals?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

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. Watercress - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170068/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.