Swiss Chard vs Kale – Is One Better? Let’s Compare

Informing people about healthy foods like Swiss chard and kale is part of my Health Coaching job. Many of my clients want to know if one is superior to the other. Let’s answer, Swiss chard vs kale, which is better?

Kale provides more protein, fiber, Vitamin C, B6, B5, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, calcium and zinc. Swiss chard has fewer calories and carbohydrates and provides more vitamin A, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, iron and copper.

This article will examine Swiss chard and kale’s tastes, textures, prices, glycemic indexes, health benefits and whether one can substitute for the other. In addition, I’ll include a side-by-side nutrient comparison.

I’ve purchased, researched and consumed both vegetables prior to, during and sometimes after writing this article.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Cooked Swiss chard and kale in a pot. — Cooked Swiss chard and kale in a pot

Swiss Chard vs Kale Comparison

Some people wonder if they are related. Let’s take a closer look at the two.

Swiss chard and kale are both green vegetables but they are from different cultivar groups and species. The Swiss chard species is Beta vulgaris and kale is a leaf cabbage belonging to a group of cabbage cultivars. Swiss chard leaves may be green or red coloring and the stems red, yellow or white while kale is all green.

Although some chard or Swiss chard nicknames include the word spinach, they are not the same. It is a distinctly different species to spinach.

Some chard nicknames are:

Swiss chard spinach
Silverbeet
Beet spinach
Perpetual spinach
Leaf beet
Rainbow chard

Nutrition Comparison

The following table compares the nutrients contained per 100 grams.

	Kale, raw (100 g)	Swiss Chard, raw (100 g)
Calories	35	19
Protein	2.92 g	1.80 g
Carbohydrates	4.42 g	3.74 g
Fiber	4.1 g	1.6 g
Fat	1.49 g	0.20 g
Sugar	0.80 g	1.10 g
Vitamin A	4,480 IU	6,120 IU
Beta-carotene	2,870 mcg	3,650 mcg
Vitamin C	93.4 mg	30.0 mg
Vitamin K	390 mcg	830 mcg
Vitamin D	0 IU	0 IU
Vitamin B6	0.15 mg	0.10 mg
Vitamin B9 (Folate)	62 mcg	14 mcg
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)	0.11 mg	0.04 mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	0.35 mg	0.09 mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)	1.18 mg	0.40 mg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)	0.37 mg	0.17 mg
Magnesium	33 mg	81 mg
Phosphorous	55 mg	46 mg
Potassium	348 mg	379 mg
Iron	1.60 mg	1.80 mg
Copper	0.05 mg	0.18 mg
Calcium	254 mg	51 mg
Zinc	0.39 mg	0.36 mg

Nutrient Resources ¹ ²

Both greens are nutrient dense. At first glance it may be difficult to determine which one has more nutrients.

Kale provides more protein, fiber, vitamin C, B6, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B5, phosphorus, calcium and zinc.

Chard is healthy also and provides more of the following:

Vitamin A
Beta carotene
Vitamin K
Magnesium
Potassium
Iron
Copper

I don’t consume one more than the other. If kale is unavailable I’ll use Swiss chard. It’s good to alternate foods to take advantage of both their benefits.

Find out how each one of these nutrients benefit health in the lower section of this article.

Which to Choose?

Choosing one food or the other may depend on your particular goals. This section will examine the four most popular goals and determine which of the two foods is better for them.

Gluten Free

This goal is an easy one to determine. For people who have celiac disease, whether one food contains gluten will automatically make the decision which to choose.

Some people prefer following a gluten free diet, therefore it’s important also. Let’s answer which one of the two greens is gluten free.

Kale and Swiss chard are gluten free. Therefore, both foods are good options for a gluten free diet.

Keto Diets or Low-carb

If you’re considering one of these diets or currently consuming low-carb foods, the number of carbs may make a huge difference in your choice. Therefore, let’s examine which one has more carbohydrates.

Chard has 3.74 grams of carbohydrates, and kale has 4.42 per 100 grams. Swiss chard provides fewer carbohydrates per 100 grams making it better for low-carb diets.

The difference isn’t large and choosing one over the other may not matter much. Although when limiting the total daily amount, every gram can make a difference.

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Weight Loss

The number of calories per serving matters a whole bunch if weight loss is the goal. Let’s examine how many calories per serving each of the greens contain.

Kale has 35 calories, and Swiss chard has 19 calories per 100 grams. Swiss chard provides 16 less calories making it better for weight loss.

The difference is minimal and choosing one over the other may not make much of a difference. Although when counting calories every little bit may help as the total is calculated for the day.

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Bodybuilding

If gaining lean muscle mass is your goal then the amount of protein and carbohydrates may matter to you.

Healthy carbohydrates help to increase performance and fuel energy when exercising or lifting weights. It’s why marathon runners consume many carbs the day and night before the big race.

Any extra protein helps to build and repair muscle after putting them through a good workout. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at which is better for bodybuilding.

Kale is better than chard for bodybuilding due to its higher percentage of protein and carbs. It provides 2.92 grams of protein per 100 grams.

Swiss chard on the left and kale on the right. — Swiss chard on the left and kale on the right Pin to Pinterest

Taste and Texture

Let’s face it, if someone doesn’t like the way a food tastes, they will probably leave it on the store shelf. Therefore, let’s examine how the taste and texture of each one compares.

Taste

Kale has a robust, slightly peppery flavor with a hint of bitterness. The taste can vary depending on the variety; for example, Lacinato (or dinosaur) kale tends to be milder and sweeter than curly kale.
Swiss chard has a more mild and slightly sweet flavor with earthy notes. The stems can be somewhat more pronounced in taste, often described as slightly bitter or similar to beets.

Texture

Kale has a sturdy, hearty texture. The leaves are thick and can be quite tough, especially when raw. Cooking kale can soften it, but it often retains some chewiness, making it great for salads, soups, and sautés.
Swiss chard has a more tender texture compared to kale. The leaves are softer and more pliable, while the stems are crisp and crunchy. When cooked, Swiss chard wilts down significantly, becoming very tender.

Both kale and Swiss chard are nutritious leafy greens, but their distinct flavors and textures make them suitable for different culinary applications.

I wanted to conduct original research and get the opinion of real people like you. So I reached out to some of my clients, readers and members of food groups and asked, which of the two greens tastes better?

36% said they preferred the taste of kale.
52% said they preferred the taste of Swiss chard.
12% said it depended on their mood.

To conduct more original research, I setup a blind taste test at home. I tried both which were chopped up into similar size leaves to avoid simple detection. I chose the Swiss chard for its better taste.

In the battle of taste, Swiss chard had a slight win in my poll and at home.

Spinach and swiss chard salad. — Spinach and swiss chard salad

Substituting

Sometimes people want to substitute one for the other due to taste, price or availability. This makes some people wonder if they can substitute one for the other.

Kale and Swiss chard can substitute for each other although the texture will be different due to the coarser kale. When substituting in salads use a one to one ratio. When cooking use more Swiss chard due to how it breaks down while cooked.

They both can be used in the following preparations or recipes:

Salads
Curries
Smoothies
Casseroles
Soups
Sandwiches
Tacos

Additional tips:

When using kale in salads, massaging the leaves can make them more tender and less hard. In addition, always destem it.
Kale can be cut up finer so it cooks thoroughly and to soften up quicker if desired.
To achieve a softer texture from kale, cook it longer.

You may want to use both of them together in the same salad or dish. Some of the food manufacturers have made this easy for you by selling them together in the same container or bag in the produce section.

The Prices

The price of foods purchased every week is important to most people, especially with inflation the way it is. Let’s take a close look at how much each one costs.

The price for fresh Swiss chard is more than kale. The average price for chard is $0.17 per ounce. The average price for kale is $0.10 per ounce.

To conduct my own original research, I visited some local supermarkets and compared the prices. Here are my findings.

I checked my local ShopRite:

Fresh Swiss chard
- $2.99 per pound. Equals $0.17 per ounce
Fresh kale
- $1.49 per pound. Equals $0.10 per ounce

checking leafy green prices at my local supermarket — Checking prices at my local supermarket

Glycemic Indexes

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale measuring how fast a particular food raises the blood sugar in the blood ³. Blood sugar spikes can lead to health complications with the heart, nerves, kidneys and eyes ⁴.

Foods on the GI scale are categorized as:

Low-GI foods: 55 or under
Medium-GI foods: 56-69
High-GI foods: 70 or over

How blood sugars levels are affected:

Foods with a glycemic index 70 or more cause a quicker spike in blood sugar levels.
Foods with a glycemic index 56 to 69 cause a moderate spike in blood sugar levels.
Foods with a glycemic index 55 or less cause a slow spike in blood sugar levels.

Let’s examine which food has a higher glycemic index.

Swiss chard and kale have low glycemic indexes and are considered low GI foods. Either food is a good choice avoiding many blood sugar spikes.

Health Benefits

This section will examine the health benefits of the nutrients provided by both foods. Each section includes the benefits of each nutrient and a breakdown of the numbers and percentages provided by each vegetable.

Swiss Chard Health Benefits

The following video explains the health benefits of Swiss chard.

Vitamin K

Chard provides more vitamin K per 100 grams.

Vitamin K comes in two forms. Phylloquinone is the one found in both vegetables.

Vitamin K helps to make various proteins needed to help with the following:

Heart disease
Blood clotting
Bone health

Vitamin K, through the production of proteins, help to prevent hardening or calcification of the arteries ⁵.

Magnesium

Magnesium helps the body control the following:

Nerve function
Blood pressure
Muscle function
Insomnia
Blood sugar

Magnesium helps keep blood pressure levels stable and balanced. Recent scientific research examined previous studies and concluded magnesium supplementation decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure ⁶.

Many people supplement with magnesium in the evening because it helps calm the whole body including blood vessels.

Find out if which one had more nutrients in my article, Kale vs Spinach: Which is Better? A Complete Comparison.

Kale Health Benefits

Vitamin C

Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and helps with the following:

Prevent cell damage.
May help boost the immune system.
Collagen production.
Help heal wounds.
Increases iron absorption.
Help maintain health gums.

Calcium

Spinach is much higher in calcium. It provides more calcium per 100 grams.

Calcium helps the following:

Helps nerve function.
Help the muscles to function properly.
Build and maintain strong bones.

In addition, calcium is important for the heart and blood pressure. Harvard Health reports calcium helps maintain blood pressure by helping in the controlling of the relaxing and tightening of blood vessels ⁷.

cooking Swiss chard — Cooking Swiss chard

B Vitamins

Kale provides a higher percentage of B6, B5, folate, thiamin, niacin and riboflavin.

The B vitamins provided include the following:

B1 (thiamin)
B2 (riboflavin)
B3 (niacin)
B5
B6
B9 (folate)

B vitamins help support the following:

Brain function.
Digestion.
Nerve function.
Cardiovascular disease.
Red blood cells.
Energy levels.

If you have any questions about this article don’t hesitate to email us. You can find an email on our contact page.