Swiss chard and spinach are dark leafy green vegetables that are both loaded with beneficial nutrients. These veggies have a similar taste and texture, but there are a few minor nutritional differences. Whether you love making salad with baby spinach, or steaming a side of Swiss chard for your grilled chicken, these leafy greens will give you the nutrients you need, without adding a lot of calories to your diet.
Swiss chard and spinach have a very similar caloric value. Both vegetables offer approximately seven calories per 1-cup raw serving. More than half of the calories come from carbohydrates, a macronutrient that is the main source of energy in your body. Carbohydrates provide four calories per gram, and both of these veggies provide a little more than 1 gram of carbohydrate. Protein and fat contribute to less than two calories combined. Like carbohydrates, protein also offers four calories per gram, but fat has more than double the calories, providing nine calories per gram. Swiss chard and spinach each have less than 1 gram of protein and only a trace amount of fat.
Dark leafy green vegetables, like Swiss chard and spinach, are rich in calcium. Swiss chard contains about 18 milligrams of calcium per 1-cup raw serving, while spinach has 30 milligrams, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. This mineral is well known for supporting healthy bones, but it also helps maintain a normal fluid balance, keeps your heart rhythm steady and helps nerves send messages around your body. You need 1,000 milligrams of calcium in your diet each day, but you should not rely solely on leafy greens as your primary source. Swiss chard and spinach are high in oxalic acid, a food component that inhibits calcium absorption. Pairing these dark green vegetables with milk can lessen the amount of calcium your body absorbs from the milk. If you fill your plate with Swiss chard or spinach, avoid eating dairy foods with your meals. This way your body can fully absorb all the calcium from your glass of milk.
Swiss chard and spinach each provide nearly 1 milligram of iron per cup of raw leafy greens. Each day, women need 18 milligrams of this mineral, but men require only 8 milligrams, says the Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron is a transporter of oxygen. It carries oxygen through your blood and delivers it to cells, muscles and vital organs. Although these veggies provide some of your dietary iron, the type of iron is difficult for your body to utilize. Swiss chard and spinach contain nonheme iron. This type of iron differs from heme iron in meat, which is easy for your system to absorb. In order for nonheme iron to be used, it needs the help of vitamin C.
Swiss chard has a slightly higher vitamin C content. It provides 10 milligrams of vitamin C, versus spinach which has about 8 milligrams. Women need 75 milligrams of daily vitamin C, while men require 90 milligrams. Vitamin C is crucial for nonheme iron absorption, but it also helps boost your immune system and is an essential nutrient for wound healing.
Articles For Your Diet
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Spinach, Raw
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Chard, Swiss, Raw
- McKinley Health Center: Macronutrients: The Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat
- Linus Pauling Institute: Calcium
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin C
- spinach image by Ramon Grosso from Fotolia.com