Cucumber vs. Romaine Lettuce
Nutrition comparison of Cucumber and Romaine Lettuce
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cucumber
versus
romaine lettuce
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cucumber and romaine lettuce:
- Romaine lettuce has more thiamin and folate.
- Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K, dietary fiber and potassium.
- Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cucumber (Cucumber, with peel, raw) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Cucumber and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of calories - cucumber has 15 calories per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 17 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cucumber is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to romaine lettuce per calorie. Cucumber has a macronutrient ratio of 15:80:5 and for romaine lettuce, 26:65:10 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cucumber | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 15% | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 80% | 65% |
| Fat | 5% | 10% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cucumber and romaine lettuce are low in carbohydrates - cucumber has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in cucumber are made of 56% sugar, 28% starch and 17% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in romaine lettuce comprise of 64% dietary fiber and 36% sugar.
dietary fiber
Romaine lettuce is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 320% more dietary fiber than cucumber - cucumber has 0.5g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Cucumber and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of sugar - cucumber has 1.7g of sugar per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Cucumber and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of protein - cucumber has 0.65g of protein per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cucumber and romaine lettuce are low in saturated fat - cucumber has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Cucumber and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - cucumber has 2.8mg 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 86 times more Vitamin A than cucumber - cucumber has 5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Cucumber and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cucumber has 0.03mg 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 525% more Vitamin K than cucumber - cucumber has 16.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Romaine lettuce has more thiamin and folate. Both cucumber and romaine lettuce contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Cucumber | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.027 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.033 MG | 0.067 MG |
| Niacin | 0.098 MG | 0.313 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.259 MG | 0.142 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.04 MG | 0.074 MG |
| Folate | 7 UG | 136 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Romaine lettuce has 106% more calcium than cucumber - cucumber has 16mg of calcium per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium.
iron
Romaine lettuce has 246% more iron than cucumber - cucumber has 0.28mg of iron per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron.
potassium
Romaine lettuce is a great source of potassium and it has 68% more potassium than cucumber - cucumber has 147mg 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, both cucumber and romaine lettuce contain small amounts of kaempferol.
| Cucumber | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| kaempferol | 0.13 mg | 0.02 mg |
| Quercetin | 0.04 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,
| Cucumber | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 45 UG | 5226 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 11 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 23 UG | 2312 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, romaine lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than cucumber per 100 grams.
| Cucumber | 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 cucumber and romaine lettuce contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Cucumber | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.028 G | 0.047 G |
| Total | 0.028 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: Cucumber (Cucumber, with peel, raw) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) .
Cucumber 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 cucumber or romaine lettuce contain more calories in 100 grams?Cucumber and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of calories - cucumber has 15 calories in 100g and romaine lettuce has 17 calories.
Does cucumber or romaine lettuce have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both cucumber and romaine lettuce are low in carbohydrates - cucumber has 3.6g of carbs for 100g and romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbohydrates. the carbs in cucumber are made of 60% sugar, 30% starch and 20% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in romaine lettuce comprise of 60% dietary fiber and 40% sugar.