Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
spinach
versus
zucchini
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in spinach and zucchini:
Spinach and zucchini contain similar amounts of calories - spinach has 23 calories per 100 grams and zucchini has 17 calories.
Spinach | Zucchini | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 40% | 24% |
Carbohydrates | 49% | 62% |
Fat | 10% | 14% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Both spinach and zucchini are low in carbohydrates - spinach has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and zucchini has 3.1g of carbohydrates.
Spinach is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 120% more dietary fiber than zucchini - spinach has 2.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and zucchini has 1g of dietary fiber.
Spinach and zucchini contain similar amounts of sugar - spinach has 0.42g of sugar per 100 grams and zucchini has 2.5g of sugar.
Spinach has 136% more protein than zucchini - spinach has 2.9g of protein per 100 grams and zucchini has 1.2g of protein.
Both spinach and zucchini are low in saturated fat - spinach has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and zucchini has 0.08g of saturated fat.
Both spinach and zucchini are high in Vitamin C. Spinach has 57% more Vitamin C than zucchini - spinach has 28.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and zucchini has 17.9mg of Vitamin C.
Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 45 times more Vitamin A than zucchini - spinach has 469ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and zucchini has 10ug of Vitamin A.
Spinach has 15 times more Vitamin E than zucchini - spinach has 2mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and zucchini has 0.12mg of Vitamin E.
Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 111 times more Vitamin K than zucchini - spinach has 482.9ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and zucchini has 4.3ug of Vitamin K.
Zucchini has more pantothenic acid, however, spinach contains more folate. Both spinach and zucchini contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
Spinach | Zucchini | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 0.078 MG | 0.045 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.189 MG | 0.094 MG |
Niacin | 0.724 MG | 0.451 MG |
Pantothenic acid | 0.065 MG | 0.204 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.195 MG | 0.163 MG |
Folate | 194 UG | 24 UG |
Spinach is an excellent source of calcium and it has 519% more calcium than zucchini - spinach has 99mg of calcium per 100 grams and zucchini has 16mg of calcium.
Spinach is a great source of iron and it has 632% more iron than zucchini - spinach has 2.7mg of iron per 100 grams and zucchini has 0.37mg of iron.
Both spinach and zucchini are high in potassium. Spinach has 114% more potassium than zucchini - spinach has 558mg of potassium per 100 grams and zucchini has 261mg 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,
Spinach | Zucchini | |
---|---|---|
luteolin | 0.74 mg | ~ |
kaempferol | 6.38 mg | ~ |
myricetin | 0.35 mg | ~ |
Quercetin | 3.97 mg | 0.66 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,
Spinach | Zucchini | |
---|---|---|
beta-carotene | 5626 UG | 120 UG |
lutein + zeaxanthin | 12198 UG | 2125 UG |
For omega-3 fatty acids, spinach has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than zucchini per 100 grams.
Spinach | Zucchini | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 0.138 G | 0.061 G |
Total | 0.138 G | 0.061 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both spinach and zucchini contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
Spinach | Zucchini | |
---|---|---|
linoleic acid | 0.026 G | 0.03 G |
other omega 6 | ~ | 0.001 G |
Total | 0.026 G | 0.031 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.
Spinach g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Zucchini 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 | |||