Flaxseeds vs. Kale
Nutrition comparison of Flaxseeds and Kale
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
flaxseeds
versus
kale
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in flaxseeds and kale:
- Both kale and flaxseeds are high in calcium, dietary fiber and potassium.
- Flaxseed has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, kale contains more riboflavin.
- Flaxseed is an excellent source of iron and protein.
- Kale has 19.5 times less saturated fat than flaxseed.
- Kale has signficantly less carbohydrates than flaxseed.
- Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin K.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Flaxseeds (Seeds, flaxseed) and Kale (Kale, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Flaxseed is high in calories and kale has 93% less calories than flaxseed - kale has 35 calories per 100 grams and flaxseed has 534 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, flaxseeds is lighter in protein, lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to kale per calorie. Flaxseeds has a macronutrient ratio of 13:21:66 and for kale, 28:41:31 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Flaxseeds | Kale | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 13% | 28% |
| Carbohydrates | 21% | 41% |
| Fat | 66% | 31% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Kale has signficantly less carbohydrates than flaxseed - kale has 4.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and flaxseed has 28.9g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in kale are made of 81% dietary fiber and 19% sugar, whereas the carbs in flaxseeds comprise of 95% dietary fiber and 5% sugar.
dietary fiber
Both kale and flaxseeds are high in dietary fiber. Flaxseed has 566% more dietary fiber than kale - kale has 4.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and flaxseed has 27.3g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Kale and flaxseeds contain similar amounts of sugar - kale has 0.99g of sugar per 100 grams and flaxseed has 1.6g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Flaxseed is an excellent source of protein and it has 526% more protein than kale - kale has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and flaxseed has 18.3g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Kale has 19.5 times less saturated fat than flaxseed - kale has 0.18g of saturated fat per 100 grams and flaxseed has 3.7g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has 154 times more Vitamin C than flaxseed - kale has 93.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and flaxseed has 0.6mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than flaxseed - kale has 241ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and flaxseed does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Kale and flaxseeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - kale has 0.66mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and flaxseed has 0.31mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 89 times more Vitamin K than flaxseed - kale has 389.6ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and flaxseed has 4.3ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Flaxseed has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, kale contains more riboflavin. Both flaxseeds and kale contain significant amounts of folate.
| Flaxseeds | Kale | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 1.644 MG | 0.113 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.161 MG | 0.347 MG |
| Niacin | 3.08 MG | 1.18 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.985 MG | 0.37 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.473 MG | 0.147 MG |
| Folate | 87 UG | 62 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both kale and flaxseeds are high in calcium. Kale is very similar to kale for calcium - kale has 254mg of calcium per 100 grams and flaxseed has 255mg of calcium.
iron
Flaxseed is an excellent source of iron and it has 258% more iron than kale - kale has 1.6mg of iron per 100 grams and flaxseed has 5.7mg of iron.
potassium
Both kale and flaxseeds are high in potassium. Flaxseed has 134% more potassium than kale - kale has 348mg of potassium per 100 grams and flaxseed has 813mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseed has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than kale per 100 grams.
| Flaxseeds | Kale | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 22.813 G | 0.378 G |
| Total | 22.813 G | 0.378 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, flaxseed has more linoleic acid than kale per 100 grams.
| Flaxseeds | Kale | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.003 G |
| linoleic acid | 5.903 G | 0.291 G |
| Total | 5.903 G | 0.294 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.
Flaxseeds g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Kale 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 kale or flaxseeds contain more calories in 100 grams?Flaxseed is high in calories and kale has 90% less calories than flaxseed - kale has 35 calories in 100g and flaxseed has 534 calories.
Does kale or flaxseeds have more carbohydrates?
By weight, kale has signficantly fewer carbohydrates than flaxseed - kale has 4.4g of carbs for 100g and flaxseed has 28.9g of carbohydrates. the carbs in kale are made of 80% dietary fiber and 20% sugar, whereas the carbs in flaxseeds comprise of 100% dietary fiber and 10% sugar.
Does kale or flaxseeds contain more calcium?
Both kale and flaxseeds are high in calcium. Kale is very similar to kale for calcium - kale has 254mg of calcium in 100 grams and flaxseed has 255mg of calcium.
Does kale or flaxseeds contain more iron?
Flaxseed is an abundant source of iron and it has 260% more iron than kale - kale has 1.6mg of iron in 100 grams and flaxseed has 5.7mg of iron.
Does kale or flaxseeds contain more potassium?
Both kale and flaxseeds are high in potassium. Flaxseed has 130% more potassium than kale - kale has 348mg of potassium in 100 grams and flaxseed has 813mg of potassium.