Mustard Greens vs. Turnip greens — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison
Summary
In a few words, mustard and turnip greens belong to the same family but different genera.
Raw mustard greens are slightly richer in protein and minerals. Mustard greens are also more alkaline-forming. Raw turnip greens are higher in vitamins and carbohydrates due to net carbs.
Table of contents
Introduction
Mustard greens are the leaves of the mustard plant, while turnip greens are the leaves of turnips. This article will compare the two greens to see what they share in common and what sets them apart, with a particular focus on nutrition and health impact.
Classification
Mustard and turnip greens share a lot of similarities as the two belong to the same botanical family - Brassica. However, each has its own genus. Mustard greens belong to the juncea genus, while turnips form the rapa genus.
Mustard greens are also known as curly mustard, Indian or Chinese mustard, mustard spinach, leaf mustard, and vegetable mustard.
Turnip greens are also referred to as turnip tops.
Taste and Use
The two greens taste alike; however, mustard greens are more peppery and spicy, whereas turnip greens have a milder flavor.
Mustard greens are more popular in Asian cuisines, while turnip greens are more commonly used in North America. The two vegetables can be interchangeably used in dishes.
Nutrition
Cooking greens can considerably change their nutritional properties. In this article, we will compare mustard and turnip greens in their raw forms (1, 2).
Macronutrients and Calories
The two greens are very similar in their overall macronutrient compositions, with turnip greens being only slightly denser in nutrients. Mustard greens consist of 91% water, and turnip greens consist of 90%.
One average serving size of these vegetables per person is one cup of chopped greens weighing 55 to 56g.
Calories
Greens are very low-calorie foods. Turnip greens are only slightly higher in calories, providing 5 more calories per 100g serving.
Carbohydrates
Raw turnip greens are 53% higher in carbohydrates than raw mustard greens. However, the two greens provide the same amount of dietary fiber. Turnip greens are higher in net carbs.
Protein and Fats
While greens are not the best source of protein, mustard greens are two times richer in protein compared to turnip greens.
Mustard and turnip greens do not contain notable amounts of fat.
Vitamins
Raw turnip greens are overall richer in vitamins compared to raw mustard greens.
Turnip greens are 16 times higher in folate and 4 times higher in vitamin A. Turnip greens are also a better source of vitamins E, B5, and B6.
Mustard greens are, however, richer in vitamins C, B1, and B3.
Vitamin Comparison
Minerals
Inversely, raw mustard greens are a better source of minerals than turnip greens.
Mustard greens contain higher levels of iron, phosphorus, zinc, and potassium and a lower level of sodium.
On the other hand, turnip greens are richer in copper and calcium.
Mineral Comparison
Acidity
Mustard greens and turnip greens have PRAL values of -6.8 and -3.6, respectively. This shows us that mustard greens are significantly more alkaline-forming compared to turnip greens.
Health Impact
Health Benefits
Green leafy vegetables are famous for their health-beneficial qualities. Here, we will look at the scientific evidence backing up these claims.
Cardiovascular Health
Leafy green vegetables, including mustard and turnip greens, have been studied to lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease (3).
The nitrate found in leafy greens can help relax vascular smooth muscle tissue, increasing regional blood flow and decreasing the risk of thrombosis (4).
Diabetes
Chemical compounds found in mustard greens have been researched to help lessen the damage caused by oxidative stress involved in diabetes (5).
Mustard greens decoction can help decrease blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes patients compared to metformin alone (6).
The aqueous extract of turnip leaves has also been found to decrease blood sugar levels in diabetic rats (7).
Overall, a higher intake of leafy green vegetables has been associated with a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (8, 9). This may be largely due to the high dietary fiber content.
Cancer
Green leafy vegetables are abundant in phytochemicals that can help prevent cancerous growth.
Research has found probable evidence that foods high in dietary fiber can decrease the risk of breast cancer (10).
Mustard leaves have been studied to have anti-cancer activities against colon and lung cancers (11).
Turnip leaves have been found to have to reduce the risk of cancer effectively due to a high content of a chemical compound called glucosinolates (12).
References
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169256/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170061/nutrients
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8756059/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5986475/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12887153/
- https://www.herdin.ph/index.php?view=research&cid=70244
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4418064/
- https://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c4229
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4718092/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5348370/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5318672/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.721733/full
Infographic
Macronutrient Comparison
Fat Type Comparison
Comparison summary table
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| Lower in Sugar |
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| Lower in Glycemic Index |
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| Lower in price |
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| Rich in minerals |
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| Rich in vitamins |
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| Lower in Sodium |
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| Lower in Saturated Fat |
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| Lower in Cholesterol | Equal | ||
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
| Nutrient | |
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Opinion |
| Net carbs | 2.51g | 0.86g |
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| Protein | 2.56g | 1.14g |
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| Fats | 0.47g | 0.23g |
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| Carbs | 4.51g | 4.36g |
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| Calories | 26kcal | 20kcal |
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| Sugar | 1.41g | 0.53g |
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| Fiber | 2g | 3.5g |
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| Calcium | 118mg | 137mg |
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| Iron | 0.87mg | 0.8mg |
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| Magnesium | 13mg | 22mg |
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| Phosphorus | 42mg | 29mg |
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| Potassium | 162mg | 203mg |
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| Sodium | 9mg | 29mg |
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| Zinc | 0.22mg | 0.14mg |
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| Copper | 0.146mg | 0.253mg |
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| Manganese | 0.337mg |
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| Selenium | 0.6µg | 0.9µg |
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| Vitamin A | 12370IU | 7625IU |
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| Vitamin A RAE | 618µg | 381µg |
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| Vitamin E | 1.78mg | 1.88mg |
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| Vitamin C | 25.3mg | 27.4mg |
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| Vitamin B1 | 0.041mg | 0.045mg |
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| Vitamin B2 | 0.063mg | 0.072mg |
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| Vitamin B3 | 0.433mg | 0.411mg |
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| Vitamin B5 | 0.12mg | 0.274mg |
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| Vitamin B6 | 0.098mg | 0.18mg |
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| Folate | 9µg | 118µg |
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| Vitamin K | 592.7µg | 367.6µg |
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| Tryptophan | 0.02mg |
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| Threonine | 0.063mg |
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| Isoleucine | 0.059mg |
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| Leucine | 0.105mg |
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| Lysine | 0.074mg |
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| Methionine | 0.026mg |
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| Phenylalanine | 0.07mg |
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| Valine | 0.078mg |
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| Histidine | 0.028mg |
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| Saturated Fat | 0.012g | 0.053g |
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| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.11g | 0.015g |
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| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.046g | 0.091g |
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Which food is preferable for your diet?
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| Low Fats diet |
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| Low Carbs diet |
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| Low Calories diet |
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| Low Glycemic Index diet |
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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
Comparison summary
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.
- Mustard Greens - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169257/nutrients
- Turnip greens - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170466/nutrients
All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.