Arugula vs Chard – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing arugula to chard, we picked the chard.

Why?

In terms of macros, there’s really nothing between them. They’re identical on fiber down to one decimal place (both in the USDA database as 1.6g/100g), they have the same carbs down to a rounding error (technically chard is in the same database as having +0.06 g/100g), and no meaningful difference in protein (per the same database again, it’s 0.78g/100g difference, but let’s be serious, your saliva has more protein than that*). So, we can comfortably call this round a tie.

^{*Ish. It depends on various factors including how hydrated you are, whether you are on any meds that thicken your saliva, and whether you have any medical conditions that increase/decrease your amylase production (that’s the enzyme that breaks down starch, and like most enzymes, it’s a protein, and in saliva, its the one that makes up most of the protein count). But generally speaking, saliva is usually considered to be a little under 1% protein.}

In the category of vitamins, arugula has more of vitamins B5 and B9, while chard has more of vitamins A, B3, B6, C, E, and K, by quite some margins of difference, and it’s worth noting that chard is a particularly good source of vitamin K. Thus, an easy win for chard in this round.

Looking at minerals, arugula has more calcium, phosphorus, and zinc, while chard has more copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, and selenium, winning its second round in a row.

In other considerations, chard has more polyphenols, including a good offering of kaempferol and quercetin, so that’s another point in chard’s favor.

Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for chard, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is great!

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!