Arugula is slowly rising in popularity, partly due to all of the nutrients in it. Find out what amounts of vitamins and minerals this food contains.
While there are even more nutritious foods, arugula contains nice amounts of vitamins and minerals. Especially the quantities of vitamin K, vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Folate stand out.
Vitamins and minerals in different quantities of arugula
This article will also mention other micronutrients in arugula, compare this food to spinach, and go over the other nutrients in arugula.
Before going into these details, you can find the vitamins and minerals in different quantities of arugula in the table below (1).
DV stands for the Daily Value which is a collection of rough general recommendations about how much of a vitamin or mineral a person with a 2000-calorie diet should aim for.
| How Much Arugula Nutrient | 100 Grams | 1 Leaf (2 Grams) | 1/2 Cup (10 Grams) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | 2373 UI (47%DV) | 47.5 UI (1%DV) | 237 UI (1%DV) |
| Vitamin C | 15 mg (25%DV) | 0.3 mg (0%DV) | 1.5 mg (2%DV) |
| Vitamin E | 0.4 mg (2%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (0%DV) |
| Vitamin K | 109 mcg (136%DV) | 2.2 mcg (3%DV) | 10.9 mcg (14%DV) |
| Thiamin | 0 mg (3%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (0%DV) |
| Riboflavin | 0.1 mg (5%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (1%DV) |
| Niacin | 0.3 mg (2%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (0%DV) |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg (4%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (0%DV) |
| Folate | 97 mcg (24%DV) | 1.9 mcg (0%DV) | 9.7 mcg (2%DV) |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 mcg (0%DV) | 0.0 mcg (0%DV) | 0 mcg (0%DV) |
| Pantothenic Acid | 0.4 mg (4%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (0%DV) |
| Choline | 15.3 mg | 0.3 mg (0%DV) | 1.5 mg (0%DV) |
| Betaine | 0.1 mg | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (0%DV) |
| Calcium | 160 mg (16%DV) | 3.2 mg (0%DV) | 16 mg (2%DV) |
| Iron | 1.5 mg (8%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0.1 mg (1%DV) |
| Magnesium | 47 mg (12%DV) | 0.9 mg (0%DV) | 4.7 mg (1%DV) |
| Phosphorus | 52 mg (5%DV) | 1.0 mg (0%DV) | 5.2 mg (1%DV) |
| Potassium | 369 mg (11%DV) | 7.4 mg (0%DV) | 36.9 mg (1%DV) |
| Sodium | 27 mg (1%DV) | 0.5 mg (0%DV) | 2.7 mg (0%DV) |
| Zinc | 0.5 mg (3%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (0%DV) |
| Copper | 0.1 mg (4%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (0%DV) |
| Manganese | 0.3 mg (16%DV) | 0.0 mg (0%DV) | 0 mg (2%DV) |
| Selenium | 0.3 mcg (0%DV) | 0.0 mcg (0%DV) | 0 mcg (0%DV) |
Other micronutrients in arugula
Besides the macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals, arugula also contains other micronutrients. As the name implies, these are basically smaller and/or nutrients that are currently thought to be less relevant.
In some situations, you may want to know what specific micronutrients there are. However, for most people, knowing that the categories of nutrients below are present in arugula is enough (2, 3, 4).
- Glucosinolates: Add bitter flavor to many cruciferous vegetables
- Nitrates: Compounds found in plants that can be both good or bad
- Polyphenols: Compounds found in plants that can be good for your health
It is generally recommended to get your vitamins and minerals from healthy whole foods like arugula. Partly because you get these additional nutrients that are typically not in multivitamins.
Vitamins and minerals in arugula vs spinach
The numbers of vitamins and minerals in arugula can be helpful but you may want to how this food compares to other alternatives like spinach.
In the table below, you can find the nutrients arugula and spinach both stand out in. The quantities are what you get from 100 grams of each of this food (1, 5).
| Nutrient | Arugula | Spinach |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin K | 109 mcg (136%DV) | 483 mcg (604%DV) |
| Vitamin A | 2373 UI (47%DV) | 9731 UI (188%DV) |
| Vitamin C | 15 mg (25%DV) | 28.1 mg (47%DV) |
| Folate | 97 mcg (24%DV) | 194 mcg (49%DV) |
| Manganese | 0.3 mg (16%DV) | 0.9 mg (45%DV) |
Other nutrients in arugula
You may also want to know about the other nutrients in arugula. These matter for health goals like weight loss, staying in ketosis, building muscle, longevity, hunger, etc.
100 grams of arugula contains some of the following nutrients (1):
- Calories: 25 calories
- Protein: 2.6 grams
- Total carbohydrates (includes fiber): 3.7 grams
- Fiber: 1.6 grams
- Fat: 0.7 grams
Besides containing nice amounts of important vitamins and minerals, arugula is also low in calories and contains some fiber.
You will still need to eat other foods for other vitamins, other minerals, calories, protein, fat, and fiber. However, arugula can definitely be a good addition to a healthy diet.
