When it comes to choosing the healthiest greens, there are so many alternatives available that it can be challenging to determine which one is better for you.
Some choices are easier to make than others when it comes to eating healthfully. Kale chips vs tortilla chips? Easy decision. Kale vs. broccoli? That is a bit less clear.
Both broccoli and kale are winners from a nutritional standpoint because they are rich in vitamins, nutrients, dietary fiber, and antioxidants, all of which are essential for a balanced diet.
If we had to select one and make a comparison of kale vs. broccoli, would you pick kale or broccoli? Which one do you think is healthier?
Here we are going to make it easy for you. Keep reading to discover what we’ll conclude in the food fight – kale vs broccoli.
Table of Contents
What is broccoli?
Broccoli is a green vegetable with branching blossom buds, either green or purple in color. It is a member of the brassica family, along with cabbage, cauliflower, and kale. It is a fast-growing annual plant that can reach heights of 60–90 cm (24–35 inches). It is regarded to be the vegetable with the largest nutritious punch.
How to eat broccoli?
Raw broccoli tastes dull. Thus many individuals have developed many variants and cooking methods to make this veggie fascinating and palatable.
Some of the ways you can eat broccoli are:
- Broccoli may be added to your daily salad with a squeeze of lemon, salt, and black pepper, or you can create a soup with it.
- Broccoli can be grilled, sautéed, or steam-cooked and served as a side dish.
- It can also be cooked and puréed to produce cream of broccoli soup, spiralized and used as a low-carb alternative to pasta, or snuck into green smoothies.
What is kale?
Kale is an edible plant that has loosely coiled leaves. It is a member of the mustard family. Depending on the cultivar, the leaves can be light green, crimson, or purple in addition to their normal blue-green hue. The primary stem of kale grows to a height of at least 60 cm (24 inches) during a long growing season.
How to eat kale?
Kale can be eaten raw in a salad and dressed with salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Kale can be a base for salads or added to nutritious bowls. Even better, you may mix it with juice to make a nutritious detox beverage.
The other finest ways to use kale include:
- Adding marinated kale leaves to pizza
- Mixing young kale leaves with fruits to make delectable kale smoothies
- Preparing nutrient-dense kale chips from fresh kale leaves
- Putting finely chopped kale into omelet and muffin recipes.
You could also try producing some incredibly healthy kale juice if you have a juicer that can handle greens like kale or spinach.
Kale vs broccoli – Nutrition facts
Both kale and broccoli are nutritious powerhouses. Like other green leafy vegetables, kale and broccoli have very low carbohydrate and fat content.
The vitamins and minerals in the two vegetables are equivalent, although kale has a little edge over broccoli in terms of protein, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and K.
The amount of protein makes the most difference: Kale has a higher protein concentration compared to broccoli. Broccoli has 5% of the daily protein value while ale contains roughly 8% of the protein.
A 100-gram serving (3.5 ounces) of fresh kale provides more than 20% of the daily value for each of the nutrients manganese, copper, folate, vitamin C, and vitamin k.
In addition, kale has significant amounts of potassium, calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, vitamin B6, and vitamin E, beta-carotene ( precursor to vitamin A).
Overall yet, broccoli’s nutritional benefits are undoubtedly inferior to kale’s. Therefore, kale has been designated as a superfood.
So, kale vs broccoli nutrition facts – we can say kale is superior to broccoli.
Kale and broccoli calories
Kale and broccoli calories vary a bit. Broccoli has a smaller calorie content, about 34 calories. While kale has 49 calories per 100 grams.
So, if you eat kale regularly, you will consume slightly more calories than you would if you were eating broccoli.
Also, read to know about low calories snacks.
Kale and broccoli benefits on your health
Now, let’s move to kale and broccoli benefits.
Health benefits of broccoli
Here are some of the benefits of broccoli:
Cancer prevention: Together with other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and cabbage, broccoli has the ability to prevent cancer and strengthen the immune system. Breast cancer is typically brought on by estrogens, which broccoli has the ability to decrease. According to research, broccoli is particularly effective at preventing uterine and breast cancer.
Cholesterol reduction: Broccoli is loaded with soluble fiber, which takes cholesterol out of your body like many other whole foods. This is so that bile acids in the digestive system may connect with the fiber in broccoli. This facilitates the easy removal of cholesterol from our bodies.
Broccoli contains powerful antioxidants: Antioxidants included in broccoli have many benefits for the body. Due to its high concentration of vitamin C, broccoli is excellent for immunity. In addition to this, flavonoids found in broccoli aid in the efficient recycling of vitamin C. Additionally, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene, and other potent antioxidants are also present in broccoli.
Reduces allergic reaction and inflammation: Kaempferol present in broccoli has the ability to decrease the effects of allergy-related chemicals on our bodies. Even the well-known anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids are present in broccoli in large proportions. Additionally, broccoli includes sulforaphane, a substance that inhibits the enzymes that can damage joints and create inflammation.
Broccoli is good for digestive health: Broccoli is rich in fiber, which promotes healthy digestion, prevents constipation, keeps blood sugar levels low, and reduces overeating.
Health benefits of kale
Here are some health benefits of kale:
Rich in vital vitamins: Vitamin C, an antioxidant with numerous crucial functions in the body, is abundant in kale. Actually, a cup of raw kale has more vitamin C per serving than an orange.
Kale is also abundant in vitamin K. It plays a crucial role in blood clotting by activating specific proteins and enabling them to bind calcium. In addition, kale is also a good source of vitamin A.
Kale is good for eyes: The antioxidant beta-carotene, which the body may convert into vitamin A (important for vision), is actually present in large amounts. Kale can therefore be a useful approach to boost your body’s levels of this crucial vitamin. In addition, the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are also present, which give kale its deep, dark green color. They prevent cataracts and macular degeneration,
Protects against cancer: Kale has a tonne of substances that are thought to have anti-cancer preventive properties. One of these is sulforaphane, a compound that has been demonstrated to aid in the molecular defense against the development of cancer. Additionally, it includes indole-3-carbinol, another compound that is thought to aid in the prevention of cancer.
Kale is abundant in essential minerals: Kale has a lot of minerals, some of which are lacking in a lot of people. It is an excellent plant-based source of calcium, a mineral that is crucial for bone health and is involved in a variety of cellular processes.
It also provides a good amount of magnesium, a vital element that the majority of people do not consume enough of. Getting enough magnesium through the diet may help prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Potassium, a mineral that aids in maintaining electrical gradients in the body’s cells, is another mineral that is abundant in kale. Low blood pressure and a lower risk of heart disease have both been associated with adequate potassium intake.
Kale and broccoli for weight loss
Both kale and broccoli for weight loss are excellent options. How? Let’s see.
Broccoli’s high fiber content makes it a fantastic food for weight loss. It is the perfect green vegetable to add to salads and rounds out your daily intake of five different colored veggies.
Kale is also a food that promotes weight loss due to a number of factors. Despite having a very low-calorie count, it nevertheless has a considerable amount of bulk, which should make you feel satisfied.
Also, kale has a low energy density due to its low calorie and high water content. Numerous pieces of research have indicated that eating a lot of meals with a low energy density will help one lose weight.
Small levels of fiber and protein are also present in kale. When it comes to shedding pounds, these two nutrients are crucial.
Kale vs broccoli – Which is better?
So, is there a winner when it comes to kale vs broccoli?
Well, compared to broccoli, kale offers more protein and minerals. So, kale is a good option if you want a rapid boost of nutrient-rich greens.
But having more of something is also a bad idea. So, mixing kale up in the kitchen with broccoli and other leafy greens like swiss chard, collard greens, and spinach is the way to go for nutritious variety.
Also, you can consult with the best nutritionist near you, if you have confusion in deciding which greens to add to your daily routine. For that, you can make an appointment via Healthwire.
FAQs
Is kale the healthiest vegetable?
It is definitely one of the healthiest and most nutritious vegetables. Also, of all leafy green vegetables, kale is considered the king.
What vegetable is better than broccoli?
Some good alternatives to broccoli include cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, asparagus, and of course kale.
Is kale just broccoli?
Both kale and broccoli belong to the same brassica family. But they differ in their nutritional facts a bit.
What has more protein, broccoli or kale?
Kale has higher protein content in comparison to broccoli.
