Garlic vs. Spinach
Nutrition comparison of Garlic and Spinach
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
garlic
versus
spinach
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in garlic and spinach:
- Both spinach and garlic are high in Vitamin C, calcium, dietary fiber and potassium.
- Garlic has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, spinach contains more folate.
- Spinach is a great source of iron.
- Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin K.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Garlic (Garlic, raw) and Spinach (Spinach, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Garlic is high in calories and spinach has 85% less calories than garlic - spinach has 23 calories per 100 grams and garlic has 149 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, garlic is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to spinach per calorie. Garlic has a macronutrient ratio of 16:82:3 and for spinach, 40:49:10 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Garlic | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 16% | 40% |
| Carbohydrates | 82% | 49% |
| Fat | 3% | 10% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Garlic is high in carbohydrates and spinach has 89% less carbohydrates than garlic - spinach has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and garlic has 33.1g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both spinach and garlic are high in dietary fiber. Spinach has a little more dietary fiber (5%) than garlic by weight - spinach has 2.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and garlic has 2.1g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Spinach and garlic contain similar amounts of sugar - spinach has 0.42g of sugar per 100 grams and garlic has 1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Garlic has 122% more protein than spinach - spinach has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and garlic has 6.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both spinach and garlic are low in saturated fat - spinach has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and garlic has 0.09g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Both spinach and garlic are high in Vitamin C. Garlic has 11% more Vitamin C than spinach - spinach has 28.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and garlic has 31.2mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than garlic - spinach has 469ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and garlic does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Spinach has 24 times more Vitamin E than garlic - spinach has 2mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and garlic has 0.08mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 283 times more Vitamin K than garlic - spinach has 482.9ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and garlic has 1.7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Garlic has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, spinach contains more folate. Both garlic and spinach contain significant amounts of riboflavin and niacin.
| Garlic | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.2 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.11 MG | 0.189 MG |
| Niacin | 0.7 MG | 0.724 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.596 MG | 0.065 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.235 MG | 0.195 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 194 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both spinach and garlic are high in calcium. Garlic has 83% more calcium than spinach - spinach has 99mg of calcium per 100 grams and garlic has 181mg of calcium.
iron
Spinach is a great source of iron and it has 59% more iron than garlic - spinach has 2.7mg of iron per 100 grams and garlic has 1.7mg of iron.
potassium
Both spinach and garlic are high in potassium. Spinach has 39% more potassium than garlic - spinach has 558mg of potassium per 100 grams and garlic has 401mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
flavonoids
Naturally occuring in fruits and vegetables, flavonoids are associated with many health benefits and used in a variety of medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. [2][3]
For specific flavonoid compounds, spinach has more kaempferol, quercetin and luteolin than garlic per 100 grams, however, garlic contains more myricetin than spinach per 100 grams.
| Garlic | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| kaempferol | 0.26 mg | 6.38 mg |
| myricetin | 1.61 mg | 0.35 mg |
| Quercetin | 1.74 mg | 3.97 mg |
| luteolin | ~ | 0.74 mg |
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids,
| Garlic | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 5 UG | 5626 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 16 UG | 12198 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, spinach has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than garlic per 100 grams.
| Garlic | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.02 G | 0.138 G |
| Total | 0.02 G | 0.138 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, garlic has more linoleic acid than spinach per 100 grams.
| Garlic | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.229 G | 0.026 G |
| Total | 0.229 G | 0.026 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Garlic g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Spinach g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does spinach or garlic contain more calories in 100 grams?Garlic is high in calories and spinach has 90% less calories than garlic - spinach has 23 calories in 100g and garlic has 149 calories.
Is spinach or garlic better for protein?
Garlic has 120% more protein than spinach - spinach has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and garlic has 6.4g of protein.
Does spinach or garlic have more carbohydrates?
By weight, garlic is high in carbohydrates and spinach has 90% fewer carbohydrates than garlic - spinach has 3.6g of carbs for 100g and garlic has 33.1g of carbohydrates.
Does spinach or garlic contain more calcium?
Both spinach and garlic are high in calcium. Garlic has 80% more calcium than spinach - spinach has 99mg of calcium in 100 grams and garlic has 181mg of calcium.
Does spinach or garlic contain more potassium?
Both spinach and garlic are high in potassium. Spinach has 40% more potassium than garlic - spinach has 558mg of potassium in 100 grams and garlic has 401mg of potassium.