Foodstruct Nutrition Search | Diet Analysis | Food Comparison | Glycemic Index Chart | Insulin Index Chart | Blog | Subscribe | Sign Up

Watercress vs. Basil — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

Compare

A recap on differences between watercress and basil

  • Watercress has more vitamin C; however, basil is higher in vitamin K, manganese, iron, copper, folate, vitamin A, magnesium, zinc, and calcium.
  • Basil covers your daily vitamin K needs 137% more than watercress.
  • Basil contains 2 times less vitamin C than watercress. Watercress contains 43mg of vitamin C, while basil contains 18mg.
  • The glycemic index of basil is higher.

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

Infographic

Watercress vs Basil infographic
Infographic link

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.
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%
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%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +11.9%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +200%
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%
~equal in Phosphorus ~56mg

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.
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% 53% 20% 0% 23% 28% 3.8% 19% 30% 0% 625% 6.8% 4.9%
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% 88% 16% 0% 8.5% 18% 17% 13% 36% 0% 1037% 51% 6.2%
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%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +65%
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%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

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

Fat Type Comparison

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

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Watercress Basil
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 Watercress Basil DV% diff.
Vitamin K 250µg 414.8µg 137%
Manganese 0.244mg 1.148mg 39%
Iron 0.2mg 3.17mg 37%
Copper 0.077mg 0.385mg 34%
Vitamin C 43mg 18mg 28%
Folate 9µg 68µg 15%
Vitamin A 160µg 264µg 12%
Magnesium 21mg 64mg 10%
Calcium 120mg 177mg 6%
Zinc 0.11mg 0.81mg 6%
Vitamin B1 0.09mg 0.034mg 5%
Fiber 0.5g 1.6g 4%
Vitamin B3 0.2mg 0.902mg 4%
Vitamin B2 0.12mg 0.076mg 3%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.035g 0.389g 2%
Vitamin B6 0.129mg 0.155mg 2%
Protein 2.3g 3.15g 2%
Vitamin B5 0.31mg 0.209mg 2%
Sodium 41mg 4mg 2%
Calories 11kcal 23kcal 1%
Selenium 0.9µg 0.3µg 1%
Potassium 330mg 295mg 1%
Vitamin E 1mg 0.8mg 1%
Fats 0.1g 0.64g 1%
Phosphorus 60mg 56mg 1%
Carbs 1.29g 2.65g 0%
Net carbs 0.79g 1.05g N/A
Sugar 0.2g 0.3g N/A
Choline 9mg 11.4mg 0%
Saturated fat 0.027g 0.041g 0%
Monounsaturated fat 0.008g 0.088g 0%
Tryptophan 0.03mg 0.039mg 0%
Threonine 0.133mg 0.104mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.093mg 0.104mg 0%
Leucine 0.166mg 0.191mg 0%
Lysine 0.134mg 0.11mg 0%
Methionine 0.02mg 0.036mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.114mg 0.13mg 0%
Valine 0.137mg 0.127mg 0%
Histidine 0.04mg 0.051mg 0%
Fructose 0.02g 0%

Which food is preferable for your diet?

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

People also compare

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
74%
Watercress
104%
Basil
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
18%
Watercress
57%
Basil

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. Watercress - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170068/nutrients
  2. Basil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172232/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.