Banana vs. Romaine Lettuce
Nutrition comparison of Banana and Romaine Lettuce
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
banana
versus
romaine lettuce
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in banana and romaine lettuce:
- Both romaine lettuce and banana are high in dietary fiber and potassium.
- Romaine lettuce has 5.9 times less carbohydrates than banana.
- Romaine lettuce has 9.2 times less sugar than banana.
- Romaine lettuce has more beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than banana, however, banana contains more alpha-carotene than romaine lettuce.
- Romaine lettuce has more thiamin and folate, however, banana contains more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Romaine lettuce has signficantly less calories than banana.
- Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K.
- Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Banana (Bananas, raw) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Romaine lettuce has signficantly less calories than banana - romaine lettuce has 17 calories per 100 grams and banana has 89 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, banana is lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to romaine lettuce per calorie. Banana has a macronutrient ratio of 5:93:3 and for romaine lettuce, 22:63:15 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Banana | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 5% | 22% |
| Carbohydrates | 93% | 63% |
| Fat | 3% | 15% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Romaine lettuce has 5.9 times less carbohydrates than banana - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and banana has 22.8g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both romaine lettuce and banana are high in dietary fiber. Banana has 24% more dietary fiber than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and banana has 2.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Romaine lettuce has 9.2 times less sugar than banana - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar per 100 grams and banana has 12.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Romaine lettuce and banana contain similar amounts of protein - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein per 100 grams and banana has 1.1g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both romaine lettuce and banana are low in saturated fat - romaine lettuce has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and banana has 0.11g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Banana has 118% more Vitamin C than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and banana has 8.7mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 144 times more Vitamin A than banana - romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and banana has 3ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Romaine lettuce and banana contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - romaine lettuce has 0.13mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and banana has 0.1mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 204 times more Vitamin K than banana - romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and banana has 0.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Romaine lettuce has more thiamin and folate, however, banana contains more niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both banana and romaine lettuce contain significant amounts of riboflavin.
| Banana | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.031 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.073 MG | 0.067 MG |
| Niacin | 0.665 MG | 0.313 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.334 MG | 0.142 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.367 MG | 0.074 MG |
| Folate | 20 UG | 136 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Romaine lettuce has 560% more calcium than banana - romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium per 100 grams and banana has 5mg of calcium.
iron
Romaine lettuce has 273% more iron than banana - romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron per 100 grams and banana has 0.26mg of iron.
potassium
Both romaine lettuce and banana are high in potassium. Banana has 45% more potassium than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium per 100 grams and banana has 358mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
flavonoids
Naturally occuring in fruits and vegetables, flavonoids are associated with many health benefits and used in a variety of medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. [2][3]
For specific flavonoid compounds, both banana and romaine lettuce contain small amounts of kaempferol.
| Banana | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| kaempferol | 0.11 mg | 0.02 mg |
| myricetin | 0.01 mg | ~ |
| Quercetin | 0.06 mg | 2.2 mg |
| luteolin | ~ | 0.05 mg |
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, romaine lettuce has more beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than banana per 100 grams, however, banana contains more alpha-carotene than romaine lettuce per 100 grams.
| Banana | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 26 UG | 5226 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 25 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 22 UG | 2312 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, romaine lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than banana per 100 grams.
| Banana | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.027 G | 0.113 G |
| Total | 0.027 G | 0.113 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both banana and romaine lettuce contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Banana | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.046 G | 0.047 G |
| Total | 0.046 G | 0.047 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Banana (Bananas, raw) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) .
Banana g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Romaine Lettuce g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does romaine lettuce or banana contain more calories in 100 grams?Romaine lettuce has signficantly less calories than banana - romaine lettuce has 17 calories in 100g and banana has 89 calories.
Does romaine lettuce or banana have more carbohydrates?
By weight, romaine lettuce has 5.9 times fewer carbohydrates than banana - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbs for 100g and banana has 22.8g of carbohydrates.
Does romaine lettuce or banana contain more potassium?
Both romaine lettuce and banana are high in potassium. Banana has 50% more potassium than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium in 100 grams and banana has 358mg of potassium.