Beets vs. Romaine Lettuce
Nutrition comparison of Beets and Romaine Lettuce
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
beets
versus
romaine lettuce
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in beets and romaine lettuce:
- Both beets and romaine lettuce are high in dietary fiber and potassium.
- Romaine lettuce has 4.6 times less sugar than beet.
- Romaine lettuce has 60% less calories than beet.
- Romaine lettuce has 66% less carbohydrates than beet.
- Romaine lettuce has more thiamin.
- Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K.
- Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Beets (Beets, 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 60% less calories than beet - beet has 43 calories per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 17 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, beets is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to romaine lettuce per calorie. Beets has a macronutrient ratio of 14:83:3 and for romaine lettuce, 26:65:10 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Beets | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 83% | 65% |
| Fat | 3% | 10% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Romaine lettuce has 66% less carbohydrates than beet - beet has 9.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in beets are made of 71% sugar and 29% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in romaine lettuce comprise of 64% dietary fiber and 36% sugar.
dietary fiber
Both beets and romaine lettuce are high in dietary fiber. Beet has 33% more dietary fiber than romaine lettuce - beet has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Romaine lettuce has 4.6 times less sugar than beet - beet has 6.8g of sugar per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Beets and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of protein - beet has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both beets and romaine lettuce are low in saturated fat - beet has 0.03g of saturated fat per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Beets and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - beet has 4.9mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 4mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 217 times more Vitamin A than beet - beet has 2ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Beets and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - beet has 0.04mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.13mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 511 times more Vitamin K than beet - beet has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Romaine lettuce has more thiamin. Both beets and romaine lettuce contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Beets | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.031 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.04 MG | 0.067 MG |
| Niacin | 0.334 MG | 0.313 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.155 MG | 0.142 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.067 MG | 0.074 MG |
| Folate | 109 UG | 136 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Romaine lettuce has 106% more calcium than beet - beet has 16mg of calcium per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium.
iron
Beets and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of iron - beet has 0.8mg of iron per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron.
potassium
Both beets and romaine lettuce are high in potassium. Beet has 32% more potassium than romaine lettuce - beet has 325mg of potassium per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 247mg 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, beet has more luteolin than romaine lettuce per 100 grams, however, romaine lettuce contains more quercetin than beet per 100 grams.
| Beets | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| luteolin | 0.37 mg | 0.05 mg |
| Quercetin | 0.13 mg | 2.2 mg |
| kaempferol | ~ | 0.02 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,
| Beets | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 20 UG | 5226 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 2312 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, romaine lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than beet per 100 grams.
| Beets | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.005 G | 0.113 G |
| Total | 0.005 G | 0.113 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both beets and romaine lettuce contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Beets | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.047 G |
| Total | 0.055 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: Beets (Beets, raw) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) .
Beets g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Romaine Lettuce g
()
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
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5% | calories | 5% |
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KCAL % | |
| G % |
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5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
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G % | |
| G % |
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5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
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G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
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5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
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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 % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
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IU % | |
| MG % |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
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UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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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 beets or romaine lettuce contain more calories in 100 grams?Romaine lettuce has 60% less calories than beet - beet has 43 calories in 100g and romaine lettuce has 17 calories.
Does beets or romaine lettuce have more carbohydrates?
By weight, romaine lettuce has 70% fewer carbohydrates than beet - beet has 9.6g of carbs for 100g and romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbohydrates. the carbs in beets are made of 70% sugar and 30% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in romaine lettuce comprise of 60% dietary fiber and 40% sugar.
Does beets or romaine lettuce contain more potassium?
Both beets and romaine lettuce are high in potassium. Beet has 30% more potassium than romaine lettuce - beet has 325mg of potassium in 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium.