Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
kale
versus
tomato
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in kale and tomato:
Kale and tomato contain similar amounts of calories - kale has 35 calories per 100 grams and tomato has 18 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, kale is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to tomato per calorie. Kale has a macronutrient ratio of 28:41:31 and for tomato, 17:75:9 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
Kale | Tomato | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 28% | 17% |
Carbohydrates | 41% | 75% |
Fat | 31% | 9% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Both kale and tomato are low in carbohydrates - kale has 4.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and tomato has 3.9g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in kale are made of 81% dietary fiber and 19% sugar, whereas the carbs in tomato comprise of 69% sugar and 31% dietary fiber.
Kale is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 242% more dietary fiber than tomato - kale has 4.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and tomato has 1.2g of dietary fiber.
Kale and tomato contain similar amounts of sugar - kale has 0.99g of sugar per 100 grams and tomato has 2.6g of sugar.
Kale has 232% more protein than tomato - kale has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and tomato has 0.88g of protein.
Both kale and tomato are low in saturated fat - kale has 0.18g of saturated fat per 100 grams and tomato has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Both kale and tomato are high in Vitamin C. Kale has 582% more Vitamin C than tomato - kale has 93.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and tomato has 13.7mg of Vitamin C.
Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 474% more Vitamin A than tomato - kale has 241ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and tomato has 42ug of Vitamin A.
Kale and tomato contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - kale has 0.66mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and tomato has 0.54mg of Vitamin E.
Kale is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 48 times more Vitamin K than tomato - kale has 389.6ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and tomato has 7.9ug of Vitamin K.
Kale has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and folate. Both kale and tomato contain significant amounts of niacin and Vitamin B6.
Kale | Tomato | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 0.113 MG | 0.037 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.347 MG | 0.019 MG |
Niacin | 1.18 MG | 0.594 MG |
Pantothenic acid | 0.37 MG | 0.089 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.147 MG | 0.08 MG |
Folate | 62 UG | 15 UG |
Kale is an excellent source of calcium and it has 24 times more calcium than tomato - kale has 254mg of calcium per 100 grams and tomato has 10mg of calcium.
Kale has 493% more iron than tomato - kale has 1.6mg of iron per 100 grams and tomato has 0.27mg of iron.
Both kale and tomato are high in potassium. Kale has 47% more potassium than tomato - kale has 348mg of potassium per 100 grams and tomato has 237mg of potassium.
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,
Kale | Tomato | |
---|---|---|
isorhamnetin | 23.6 mg | ~ |
kaempferol | 46.8 mg | 0.09 mg |
Quercetin | 22.58 mg | 0.58 mg |
myricetin | ~ | 0.13 mg |
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, kale has more beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than tomato per 100 grams, however, tomato contains more alpha-carotene and lycopene than kale per 100 grams.
Kale | Tomato | |
---|---|---|
beta-carotene | 2873 UG | 449 UG |
lutein + zeaxanthin | 6261 UG | 123 UG |
alpha-carotene | ~ | 101 UG |
lycopene | ~ | 2573 UG |
For omega-3 fatty acids, kale has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than tomato per 100 grams.
Kale | Tomato | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 0.378 G | 0.003 G |
Total | 0.378 G | 0.003 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, kale has more linoleic acid than tomato per 100 grams.
Kale | Tomato | |
---|---|---|
linoleic acid | 0.291 G | 0.08 G |
other omega 6 | 0.003 G | ~ |
Total | 0.294 G | 0.08 G |
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.
Kale g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Tomato 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 | |||