Chard vs Red Lettuce – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing chard to red lettuce, we picked the chard.

Why?

Well, at time of writing, you might want to skip them both*, but in general, chard is the more nutritionally valuable of the two!

^{*for posterity when it’s no longer July 2026: cyclosporiasis outbreak in the US, mostly from contaminated fruit & vegetables and especially lettuce and other leafy greens, after funding was cut from the government’s “making sure food doesn’t contain Cyclospora cayetanensis” department}

As for the nutritional head-to-head:

In terms of macros, chard has nearly 2x the fiber and slightly more carbs and protein, winning this first round mostly by virtue of the fiber.

In the category of vitamins, chard has more of vitamins B2, B3, B5, C, E, and K, while red lettuce has more of vitamins A, B1, and B9, yielding to chard a 6:3 win here.

Looking at minerals, chard has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, while red lettuce has more selenium, giving chard an 8:1 win in this category.

In other considerations, both are good for polyphenols, but chard has more, especially important ones like kaempferol and quercetin, so that’s another round in chard’s clear favor.

Adding up the sections makes an overwhelming overall win for chard, but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!

Want to learn more?

You might like:

• What Does Kaempferol Do, Anyway?
• Fight Inflammation & Protect Your Brain, With Quercetin
• 21 Most Beneficial Polyphenols & What Foods Have Them

Enjoy!