Vanilla Ice Cream vs. Spinach
Nutrition comparison of Vanilla Ice Cream and Spinach
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
vanilla ice cream
versus
spinach
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in vanilla ice cream and spinach:
- Both vanilla ice cream and spinach are high in Vitamin A and calcium.
- Spinach has 5.5 times less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream.
- Spinach has more niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, vanilla ice cream contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12.
- Spinach is a great source of dietary fiber and iron.
- Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) and Spinach (Spinach, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Vanilla ice cream is high in calories and spinach has 89% less calories than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories per 100 grams and spinach has 23 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, vanilla ice cream is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to spinach for carbs. Vanilla ice cream has a macronutrient ratio of 7:46:48 and for spinach, 40:49:10 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 7% | 40% |
| Carbohydrates | 46% | 49% |
| Fat | 48% | 10% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Spinach has 5.5 times less carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and spinach has 3.6g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Spinach is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 214% more dietary fiber than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.7g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and spinach has 2.2g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Vanilla ice cream is high in sugar and spinach has 98% less sugar than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 21.2g of sugar per 100 grams and spinach has 0.42g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Vanilla ice cream and spinach contain similar amounts of protein - vanilla ice cream has 3.5g of protein per 100 grams and spinach has 2.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Vanilla ice cream is high in saturated fat and spinach has 99% less saturated fat than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 6.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and spinach has 0.06g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Spinach has less cholesterol than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 44mg 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 45 times more Vitamin C than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and spinach has 28.1mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Both vanilla ice cream and spinach are high in Vitamin A. Spinach has 297% more Vitamin A than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 118ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and spinach has 469ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Vanilla ice cream has more Vitamin D than spinach - vanilla ice cream has 8iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and spinach does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Spinach has 577% more Vitamin E than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.3mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and spinach has 2mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 1608 times more Vitamin K than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spinach has 482.9ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Spinach has more niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, however, vanilla ice cream contains more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12. Both vanilla ice cream and spinach contain significant amounts of thiamin and riboflavin.
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.041 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.24 MG | 0.189 MG |
| Niacin | 0.116 MG | 0.724 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.581 MG | 0.065 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.048 MG | 0.195 MG |
| Folate | 5 UG | 194 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.39 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Both vanilla ice cream and spinach are high in calcium. Vanilla ice cream has 29% more calcium than spinach - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium per 100 grams and spinach has 99mg of calcium.
iron
Spinach is a great source of iron and it has 29 times more iron than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 0.09mg of iron per 100 grams and spinach has 2.7mg of iron.
potassium
Spinach is an excellent source of potassium and it has 180% more potassium than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 199mg of potassium per 100 grams and spinach has 558mg 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,
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 19 UG | 5626 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 12198 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both vanilla ice cream and spinach contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.175 G | 0.138 G |
| EPA | 0.003 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.178 G | 0.138 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, vanilla ice cream has more linoleic acid than spinach per 100 grams.
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.275 G | 0.026 G |
| Total | 0.275 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: Vanilla Ice Cream (Ice creams, vanilla) and Spinach (Spinach, raw) .
Vanilla Ice Cream 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 vanilla ice cream or spinach contain more calories in 100 grams?Vanilla ice cream is high in calories and spinach has 90% less calories than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 207 calories in 100g and spinach has 23 calories.
Is vanilla ice cream or spinach better for protein?
Vanilla ice cream and spinach contain similar amounts of protein - vanilla ice cream has 3.5g of protein per 100 grams and spinach has 2.9g of protein.
Does vanilla ice cream or spinach have more carbohydrates?
By weight, spinach has 5.5 times fewer carbohydrates than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 23.6g of carbs for 100g and spinach has 3.6g of carbohydrates.
Does vanilla ice cream or spinach contain more calcium?
Both vanilla ice cream and spinach are high in calcium. Vanilla ice cream has 30% more calcium than spinach - vanilla ice cream has 128mg of calcium in 100 grams and spinach has 99mg of calcium.
Does vanilla ice cream or spinach contain more potassium?
Spinach is a rich source of potassium and it has 180% more potassium than vanilla ice cream - vanilla ice cream has 199mg of potassium in 100 grams and spinach has 558mg of potassium.