Kimchi vs. Romaine Lettuce
Nutrition comparison of Kimchi and Romaine Lettuce
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
kimchi
versus
romaine lettuce
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in kimchi and romaine lettuce:
- Kimchi is a great source of iron.
- Romaine lettuce has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and folate, however, kimchi contains more riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
- 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: Kimchi (Cabbage, kimchi) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Romaine lettuce and kimchi contain similar amounts of calories - romaine lettuce has 17 calories per 100 grams and kimchi has 15 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, kimchi is lighter in carbs, heavier in fat and similar to romaine lettuce for protein. Kimchi has a macronutrient ratio of 24:51:25 and for romaine lettuce, 26:65:10 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Kimchi | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 24% | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 51% | 65% |
| Fat | 25% | 10% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both romaine lettuce and kimchi are low in carbohydrates - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and kimchi has 2.4g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in romaine lettuce are made of 64% dietary fiber and 36% sugar, whereas the carbs in kimchi comprise of 60% dietary fiber and 40% sugar.
dietary fiber
Romaine lettuce is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 31% more dietary fiber than kimchi - romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and kimchi has 1.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Romaine lettuce and kimchi contain similar amounts of sugar - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar per 100 grams and kimchi has 1.1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Romaine lettuce and kimchi contain similar amounts of protein - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein per 100 grams and kimchi has 1.1g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both romaine lettuce and kimchi are low in saturated fat - romaine lettuce has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and kimchi has 0.07g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Romaine lettuce has more Vitamin C than kimchi - romaine lettuce has 4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and kimchi does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 86 times more Vitamin A than kimchi - romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and kimchi has 5ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Romaine lettuce and kimchi contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - romaine lettuce has 0.13mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and kimchi has 0.11mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 135% more Vitamin K than kimchi - romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and kimchi has 43.6ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Romaine lettuce has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and folate, however, kimchi contains more riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
| Kimchi | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.01 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.21 MG | 0.067 MG |
| Niacin | 1.1 MG | 0.313 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | ~ | 0.142 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.213 MG | 0.074 MG |
| Folate | 52 UG | 136 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Romaine lettuce and kimchi contain similar amounts of calcium - romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium per 100 grams and kimchi has 33mg of calcium.
iron
Kimchi is a great source of iron and it has 158% more iron than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron per 100 grams and kimchi has 2.5mg of iron.
potassium
Romaine lettuce is a great source of potassium and it has 64% more potassium than kimchi - romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium per 100 grams and kimchi has 151mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
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,
| Kimchi | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 55 UG | 5226 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 1 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 49 UG | 2312 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both kimchi and romaine lettuce contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Kimchi | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.137 G | 0.113 G |
| Total | 0.137 G | 0.113 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, kimchi has more linoleic acid than romaine lettuce per 100 grams.
| Kimchi | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.104 G | 0.047 G |
| Total | 0.104 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: Kimchi (Cabbage, kimchi) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) .
Kimchi 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 kimchi contain more calories in 100 grams?Romaine lettuce and kimchi contain similar amounts of calories - romaine lettuce has 17 calories in 100g and kimchi has 15 calories.
Does romaine lettuce or kimchi have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both romaine lettuce and kimchi are low in carbohydrates - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbs for 100g and kimchi has 2.4g of carbohydrates. the carbs in romaine lettuce are made of 60% dietary fiber and 40% sugar, whereas the carbs in kimchi comprise of 60% dietary fiber and 40% sugar.