Spinach Vs Kale

alisidewinder06
alisidewinder06 Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I love both, I usually eat more spinach than any other green. However I do love kale as well. I was wondering which is more benefical for healthier eating? Seems like kale is all the rage now a days, but what happened to spinach? anyone else notice this?

Replies

  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    poor spinach is getting its feelings hurt
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    Supposedly, both are really good and have different nutrients. Popeye didn't eat Kale though! :) Then again, spinach doesn't have a chip version that is oh so yummy!

    Both are good and both are delicious. :drinker:
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Supposedly, both are really good and have different nutrients. Popeye didn't eat Kale though! :) Then again, spinach doesn't have a chip version that is oh so yummy!

    Both are good and both are delicious. :drinker:

    I'm a rampent Kale hater- so no go for me on the "both are good and delicious"

    but I don't mind spinach. I'll eat that in a variety of ways- but it's pretty low on my list- mostly because it goes bad before i can finish it. But I don't pick it out of the salads- if someone served me kale w/o telling me I'd send it back or just not eat it.

    Sh(t is nasty.
  • vegan4lyfe2012
    vegan4lyfe2012 Posts: 1,247 Member
    I love spinach and detest kale. They are both so nutritious that in the grand scheme of things, if you're eating either of them you are light years ahead of the general population.

    And Popeye is Awesome :)
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    Have you seen Popeye's forearms? Yeah, I'm gonna go with spinach. :wink:
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Have you seen Popeye's forearms? Yeah, I'm gonna go with spinach. :wink:

    TOUCHE'!!!!
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
    I tried kale once... thought it was nasty, then to top it off, it gave me horrible heart burn. :s

    I love spinach though, sauteed with olive oil, by itself, in omelets, or as a side to my dinner. It's yummy.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Both are awesome.
  • aprilh47
    aprilh47 Posts: 250 Member
    i have them together often with brocolli too.
  • aeb09
    aeb09 Posts: 424 Member
    I eat 2-3 pounds of spinach a week. It's actually ridiculous.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Spinach tastes good. Kale is nasty. Oh, and as for Kale chips, Nori is much better tasting.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    Kale is significantly cheaper but the taste is horrific. I have to blend it in a fruit smoothie. Both are a good source for some micronutrients. If there's a micronutrient that you're trying to hit, then eat which ever one has said nutrient (potassium, iron, fiber, etc).
  • persistentsoul
    persistentsoul Posts: 268 Member
    I like both but spinach more than Kale. Kale does keep much better though. Spinach I like both raw and cooked but Kale I will only eat well cooked. I was not raised to eat either. Part of getting healthy for me is discovering lots of foods I was never introduced to growing up. Better late than never.
  • kitsune1989
    kitsune1989 Posts: 93 Member
    I actually prefer kale. Even have four plants in my garden this year. O_0 I pair it with all kinds of stuff. Tomorrow I'm trying sweet potato, lentil, kale pockets.
  • Tuala42
    Tuala42 Posts: 274 Member
    I grew up eating steamed kale with bacon, liked it even as a kid. I'll sit and eat a gigantic bowl full anytime I make that. I can't handle it raw, prefer spinach for my salads. My kids love it when I make nori chips, they weren't that crazy about kale chips. And nori chips keep longer, as least they did for me unless I did something wrong with my kale chips.
  • seamandi
    seamandi Posts: 25 Member
    I eat both equally. They have different important nutrients, so you're doing nothing but good by eating them both. All dark green veggies are very nutrient dense, low calorie foods. I honestly go with whatever is cheapest are the grocery store-right now kale is 99cents for a bunch at Kroger so I'm obviously getting more kale than $1.99 spinach. If you're eating a lot of either, you're doing good!
  • sajeffe
    sajeffe Posts: 850 Member
    I eat spinach every day cooked into my egg sandwich. I also love spinach in pasta dishes or raw. I don't like creamed spinach for some reason though.

    Just started eating kale this year and I like it. As others have said, it keeps longer than spinach, so there's that. And it's not bad in my egg sandwich as a spinach substitute. It's good in stir fries. Not sure I would eat just kale - whereas I would eat just spinach.

    I have just started both, kale and spinach in my garden for the cool season. Can't wait to be able to just walk outside and pick it from my yard instead of paying a fortune for either at the store.
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,010 Member
    I love both and usually just alternate. I always have one of them in the fridge.
  • squiggysmama
    squiggysmama Posts: 76
    Per 100 calories:
    Spinach (3 cups) has: 12.2g proten, 17.36g fiber, 462mg calcium, 8.5 mg iron, 242mg magnesium, 1.8 mg zinc, 5.8 mcg selenium, 100 mg vitamin C, 4.0 mg vitamin E, 32,324 IU vitamin A

    Kale (12.6 oz) has: 7 g protein, 257 mg calcium, 3.2 mg iron, 64 mg magnesium, 814 mg potassium, 7.1 g fiber, 46 mcg folate, .25 mg riboflavin, 1.8 mg niacin, .9 mg zinc, 146 mg vitamin C, 48,641 IU Vitamin A, 29,186 mcg Beta-carotene, 3.0 mg Vitamin E,

    So, both are good. Kale supplies a greater variety of micronutrients, though. I don't think you'd go wrong eating either.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    I prefer spinach because it has a milder taste than kale, so it blends into my smoothies better. Kale is a little too bitter. I don't like to taste the greens I put in my smoothies at all. And I can put 3 cups of spinach in a fruit smoothie and not be able to taste it at all. It's great.
  • donnat238
    donnat238 Posts: 309 Member
    I prefer spinach in smoothies, salads or cooked . Kale has to be cooked! :)
  • ChildrenCryinNCoffee
    ChildrenCryinNCoffee Posts: 477 Member
    I love both.

    But can no longer indulge in them in their raw form.

    Calcium Oxalate.

    They gave me kidney stones.

    :(
  • nam985
    nam985 Posts: 140 Member
    I love both spinach and kale (as well as swiss chard, beet greens, etc.), but tend to eat more spinach because I'm lazy and can buy the pre-washed pre-cut tubs of spinach.

    Raw in salads or smoothies I use both, cooked in pasta sauce I use both, sautéed as a side dish give me kale over spinach.
  • ellenoneal1027
    ellenoneal1027 Posts: 18 Member
    I'm new to all this and experimenting with kale. Sautée it with olive oil, garlic, lemon and sometimes sliced almonds. Want to try putting it in my protein shakes next. But my question is how do you track that, portion and calorie-wise. I heard to boil the kale down 1st before adding it to shakes/smoothies. So "a cup" of raw kale is totally different from a cup of cooked down kale. Anybody got ideas on how you track your kale? Do you use it raw in shakes/smoothies?
  • mefitforlife9
    mefitforlife9 Posts: 1,749 Member
    Sam's Club - Power Greens - Kale, Spinach, Chard and Carrots.. LOL - love it in my salad and in my smoothie.

    So happy I had my gall bladder out at the beginning of the year... can eat all the veggies/fruits I need/want! Before, every time I started to eat healthier I would get sick. Now, no excuse! LOL and I love it all.

    My salads also contain "spring mix" and brocoli slaw - yummmm
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I love both and usually just alternate.

    This. Although I prefer kale cooked, and like spinach both ways. I think it's always best to alternate and include as many different greens and other vegetables as possible instead of just picking one, also.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
    I love spinach

    I hate hate kale.

    There
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    ...but what happened to spinach?...

    It's with me. :drinker:
  • candyliquor
    candyliquor Posts: 27
    I have tried Kale before, but it was in a bag of "manager's special" which means it needs to be sold before it goes bad and is usually super cheap. I tried it on homemade pizza and had stomach pains afterward. Tried it in a salad and it just tasted too "wood"-y for my tastes. Maybe I need to try them fresh and not from a bag. Spinach on the other hand, I love and is usually my green of choice. If we have lettuce- whether it's romaine (my fav type) or iceberg- and spinach, I will always choose spinach. I put it in scrambled eggs, salads and smoothies when I make them. I've also ground some up into a paste and mixed it with light mayo (or some times light dressing) for a spread to put on sandwiches. I once even ground some spinach and mixed it with tuna when making a tuna sandwich. That was delicious!

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