Romaine Lettuce vs. Squash

Nutrition comparison of Romaine Lettuce and Cooked Squash


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of romaine lettuce versus cooked squash (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in romaine lettuce and squash:

  • Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in Vitamin A, dietary fiber and potassium.
  • Romaine lettuce has 58% less calories than squash.
  • Romaine lettuce has 69% less carbohydrates than squash.
  • Romaine lettuce has more lutein + zeaxanthin than squash, however, squash contains more alpha-carotene than romaine lettuce.
  • Romaine lettuce has more riboflavin and folate, however, squash contains more niacin and pantothenic acid.
  • Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K.
  • Squash is a great source of Vitamin C.
Detailed nutritional comparison of romaine lettuce and squash 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: Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) and Squash (Squash, winter, butternut, cooked, baked, without salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Romaine Lettuce src
Image of Squash src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Romaine lettuce has 58% less calories than squash - romaine lettuce has 17 calories per 100 grams and squash has 40 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, romaine lettuce is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to squash per calorie. Romaine lettuce has a macronutrient ratio of 26:65:10 and for squash, 8:91:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Romaine Lettuce Squash
Protein 26% 8%
Carbohydrates 65% 91%
Fat 10% 2%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Romaine lettuce has 69% less carbohydrates than squash - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and squash has 10.5g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in dietary fiber. Squash has 52% more dietary fiber than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and squash has 3.2g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of sugar - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar per 100 grams and squash has 2g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of protein - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein per 100 grams and squash has 0.9g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both romaine lettuce and squash are low in saturated fat - romaine lettuce has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and squash has 0.02g of saturated fat.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Squash is a great source of Vitamin C and it has 278% more Vitamin C than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and squash has 15.1mg of Vitamin C.

Vitamin A

Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in Vitamin A. Squash has 28% more Vitamin A than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and squash has 558ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin E

Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - romaine lettuce has 0.13mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and squash has 1.3mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 101 times more Vitamin K than squash - romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and squash has 1ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Romaine lettuce has more riboflavin and folate, however, squash contains more niacin and pantothenic acid. Both romaine lettuce and squash contain significant amounts of thiamin and Vitamin B6.

Romaine Lettuce Squash
Thiamin 0.072 MG 0.072 MG
Riboflavin 0.067 MG 0.017 MG
Niacin 0.313 MG 0.969 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.142 MG 0.359 MG
Vitamin B6 0.074 MG 0.124 MG
Folate 136 UG 19 UG

Minerals

calcium

Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of calcium - romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium per 100 grams and squash has 41mg of calcium.

iron

Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of iron - romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron per 100 grams and squash has 0.6mg of iron.

potassium

Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in potassium. Romaine lettuce is very similar to romaine lettuce for potassium - romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium per 100 grams and squash has 284mg 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, romaine lettuce has more lutein + zeaxanthin than squash per 100 grams, however, squash contains more alpha-carotene than romaine lettuce per 100 grams. Both romaine lettuce and squash contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.

Romaine Lettuce Squash
beta-carotene 5226 UG 4570 UG
lutein + zeaxanthin 2312 UG ~
alpha-carotene ~ 1130 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, romaine lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than squash per 100 grams.

Romaine Lettuce Squash
alpha linoleic acid 0.113 G 0.024 G
Total 0.113 G 0.024 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both romaine lettuce and squash contain small amounts of linoleic acid.

Romaine Lettuce Squash
linoleic acid 0.047 G 0.014 G
Total 0.047 G 0.014 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: Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) and Squash (Squash, winter, butternut, cooked, baked, without salt) .

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FAQ

Does romaine lettuce or squash contain more calories in 100 grams?
Romaine lettuce has 60% less calories than squash - romaine lettuce has 17 calories in 100g and squash has 40 calories.

Does romaine lettuce or squash have more carbohydrates?
By weight, romaine lettuce has 70% fewer carbohydrates than squash - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbs for 100g and squash has 10.5g of carbohydrates.

Does romaine lettuce or squash contain more potassium?
Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in potassium. Romaine lettuce is very similar to romaine lettuce for potassium - romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium in 100 grams and squash has 284mg of potassium.