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.
Detailed nutritional comparison of beets and romaine lettuce is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

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.


Image of Beets src
Image of Romaine Lettuce src

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 14:82:4 and for romaine lettuce, 23:64:13 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Beets Romaine Lettuce
Protein 14% 23%
Carbohydrates 82% 64%
Fat 4% 13%
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 weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).

You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Beets or Romaine Lettuce .

Note: The specific food items compared are: Beets (Beets, raw) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) .

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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.

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