Milk vs. Spinach

Nutrition comparison of Milk and Spinach


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of milk versus spinach (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in milk and spinach:

  • Both spinach and milk are high in calcium.
  • Spinach has 11 times less sugar than milk.
  • Spinach has 18.9 times less saturated fat than milk.
  • Spinach has 54% less calories than milk.
  • Spinach has more niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, milk contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12.
  • Spinach is a great source of dietary fiber and iron.
  • Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and potassium.
Detailed nutritional comparison of milk and spinach is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Milk (Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D) and Spinach (Spinach, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Milk src
Image of Spinach src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Spinach has 54% less calories than milk - spinach has 23 calories per 100 grams and milk has 50 calories.

Milk Spinach
Protein 27% 40%
Carbohydrates 38% 49%
Fat 35% 10%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Both spinach and milk are low in carbohydrates - spinach has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and milk has 4.8g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Spinach is a great source of dietary fiber and it has more dietary fiber than milk - spinach has 2.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and milk does not contain significant amounts.

sugar

Spinach has 11 times less sugar than milk - spinach has 0.42g of sugar per 100 grams and milk has 5.1g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Spinach and milk contain similar amounts of protein - spinach has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and milk has 3.3g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Spinach has 18.9 times less saturated fat than milk - spinach has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and milk has 1.3g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both milk and spinach are low in trans fat - milk has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and spinach does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Both milk and spinach are low in cholesterol - milk has 8mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and spinach does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has 139 times more Vitamin C than milk - spinach has 28.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and milk has 0.2mg of Vitamin C.

Vitamin A

Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 753% more Vitamin A than milk - spinach has 469ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and milk has 55ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin D

Milk has more Vitamin D than spinach - milk has 49iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and spinach does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Spinach has 66 times more Vitamin E than milk - spinach has 2mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and milk has 0.03mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 2413 times more Vitamin K than milk - spinach has 482.9ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and milk has 0.2ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Spinach has more niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, milk contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12. Both milk and spinach contain significant amounts of thiamin and riboflavin.

Milk Spinach
Thiamin 0.039 MG 0.078 MG
Riboflavin 0.185 MG 0.189 MG
Niacin 0.092 MG 0.724 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.356 MG 0.065 MG
Vitamin B6 0.038 MG 0.195 MG
Folate 5 UG 194 UG
Vitamin B12 0.53 UG ~

Minerals

calcium

Both spinach and milk are high in calcium. Milk has 21% more calcium than spinach - spinach has 99mg of calcium per 100 grams and milk has 120mg of calcium.

iron

Spinach is a great source of iron and it has 134 times more iron than milk - spinach has 2.7mg of iron per 100 grams and milk has 0.02mg of iron.

potassium

Spinach is an excellent source of potassium and it has 299% more potassium than milk - spinach has 558mg of potassium per 100 grams and milk has 140mg of potassium.

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients

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,

Milk Spinach
beta-carotene 4 UG 5626 UG
lutein + zeaxanthin ~ 12198 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, spinach has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than milk per 100 grams.

Milk Spinach
alpha linoleic acid 0.008 G 0.138 G
Total 0.008 G 0.138 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, milk has more linoleic acid than spinach per 100 grams.

Milk Spinach
other omega 6 0.004 G ~
linoleic acid 0.062 G 0.026 G
Total 0.066 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.

Note: The specific food items compared are: Milk (Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D) and Spinach (Spinach, raw) .

Milk 244g

( cup )
Daily Values (%)

Spinach 30g

( cup )
122KCAL 6%
>999% calories
6.9KCAL 0.3%
12G 5%
991% carbohydrates
1.1G 0.4%
dietary fiber >999%
0.66G 3%
12G >999% sugar 0.13G
4.8G 8%
>999% total fat
0.12G 0.2%
3.1G 17%
>999% saturated fat
0.02G 0.1%
1.4G >999% monounsaturated fat 0G
0.18G 259% polyunsaturated fat 0.05G
0.21G >999% trans fat
20MG >999% cholesterol
115MG 8%
379% sodium
24MG 2%
Vitamins and Minerals
134UG 19%
Vitamin A 5%
141UG 20%
0.49MG 1%
Vitamin C >999%
8.4MG 11%
120IU 24%
>999% Vitamin D
293MG 29%
877% calcium
30MG 3%
0.05MG 0.3%
iron >999%
0.81MG 5%
27MG 9%
12% magnesium
24MG 8%
342MG 15%
105% potassium
167MG 7%
0.1MG 9%
398% thiamin (Vit B1)
0.02MG 2%
0.45MG 41%
649% riboflavin (Vit B2)
0.06MG 5%
0.22MG 2%
niacin (Vit B3)
0.22MG 2%
0.09MG 7%
50% Vitamin B6
0.06MG 5%
0.87MG 17%
>999% pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
0.02MG 0.4%
12UG 3%
folate (Vit B9) 383%
58UG 15%
1.3UG 54%
>999% Vitamin B12
0.07MG 1%
Vitamin E 770%
0.61MG 4%
0.49UG 1%
Vitamin K >999%
145UG 161%
8.1G 16%
842% protein
0.86G 2%
40MG 9%
590% choline
5.8MG 1%
0.01MG 1%
copper 297%
0.04MG 3%
8.3UG 0.3%
>999% fluoride
0.03MG 2%
manganese 797%
0.27MG 15%
224MG 32%
>999% phosphorus
15MG 2%
6.1UG 11%
>999% selenium
0.3UG 1%
1.2MG 15%
650% zinc
0.16MG 2%
218G 707% Water 27G


NO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS (either food): Starch, Alcohol, chlorine, chromium, iodine, molybdenum, biotin (Vit B7).

FAQ

Does spinach or milk contain more calories in 100 grams?
Spinach has 50% less calories than milk - spinach has 23 calories in 100g and milk has 50 calories.

Is spinach or milk better for protein?
Spinach and milk contain similar amounts of protein - spinach has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and milk has 3.3g of protein.

Does spinach or milk have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both spinach and milk are low in carbohydrates - spinach has 3.6g of carbs for 100g and milk has 4.8g of carbohydrates.

Does spinach or milk contain more calcium?
Both spinach and milk are high in calcium. Milk has 20% more calcium than spinach - spinach has 99mg of calcium in 100 grams and milk has 120mg of calcium.

Does spinach or milk contain more potassium?
Spinach is a rich source of potassium and it has 300% more potassium than milk - spinach has 558mg of potassium in 100 grams and milk has 140mg of potassium.