Beets vs. Butterhead Lettuce
Nutrition comparison of Beets and Butterhead Lettuce
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
beets
versus
butterhead lettuce
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in beets and butterhead lettuce:
- Both butterhead lettuce and beets are high in potassium.
- Beet is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Butterhead lettuce has 3.2 times less carbohydrates than beet.
- Butterhead lettuce has 6.1 times less sugar than beet.
- Butterhead lettuce has 70% less calories than beet.
- Butterhead lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K.
- Butterhead lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Beets (Beets, raw) and Butterhead Lettuce (Lettuce, butterhead (includes boston and bibb types), raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Butterhead lettuce has 70% less calories than beet - butterhead lettuce has 13 calories per 100 grams and beet has 43 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, beets is lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to butterhead lettuce per calorie. Beets has a macronutrient ratio of 14:83:3 and for butterhead lettuce, 33:57:11 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Beets | Butterhead Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 14% | 33% |
| Carbohydrates | 83% | 57% |
| Fat | 3% | 11% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Butterhead lettuce has 3.2 times less carbohydrates than beet - butterhead lettuce has 2.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and beet has 9.6g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in butterhead lettuce are made of 54% dietary fiber and 46% sugar, whereas the carbs in beets comprise of 71% sugar and 29% dietary fiber.
dietary fiber
Beet is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 155% more dietary fiber than butterhead lettuce - butterhead lettuce has 1.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and beet has 2.8g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Butterhead lettuce has 6.1 times less sugar than beet - butterhead lettuce has 0.94g of sugar per 100 grams and beet has 6.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Butterhead lettuce and beets contain similar amounts of protein - butterhead lettuce has 1.4g of protein per 100 grams and beet has 1.6g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both butterhead lettuce and beets are low in saturated fat - butterhead lettuce has 0.03g of saturated fat per 100 grams and beet has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Butterhead lettuce and beets contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - butterhead lettuce has 3.7mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and beet has 4.9mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Butterhead lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 82 times more Vitamin A than beet - butterhead lettuce has 166ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and beet has 2ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Butterhead lettuce and beets contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - butterhead lettuce has 0.18mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and beet has 0.04mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Butterhead lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 510 times more Vitamin K than beet - butterhead lettuce has 102.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and beet has 0.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Both beets and butterhead lettuce contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Beets | Butterhead Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.031 MG | 0.057 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.04 MG | 0.062 MG |
| Niacin | 0.334 MG | 0.357 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.155 MG | 0.15 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.067 MG | 0.082 MG |
| Folate | 109 UG | 73 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Butterhead lettuce has 119% more calcium than beet - butterhead lettuce has 35mg of calcium per 100 grams and beet has 16mg of calcium.
iron
Butterhead lettuce has 55% more iron than beet - butterhead lettuce has 1.2mg of iron per 100 grams and beet has 0.8mg of iron.
potassium
Both butterhead lettuce and beets are high in potassium. Beet has 37% more potassium than butterhead lettuce - butterhead lettuce has 238mg of potassium per 100 grams and beet has 325mg 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 butterhead lettuce per 100 grams, however, butterhead lettuce contains more quercetin than beet per 100 grams.
| Beets | Butterhead Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| luteolin | 0.37 mg | ~ |
| Quercetin | 0.13 mg | 2.73 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 | Butterhead Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 20 UG | 1987 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 1223 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, butterhead lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than beet per 100 grams.
| Beets | Butterhead Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.005 G | 0.083 G |
| Total | 0.005 G | 0.083 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both beets and butterhead lettuce contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Beets | Butterhead Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.034 G |
| Total | 0.055 G | 0.034 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 Butterhead Lettuce (Lettuce, butterhead (includes boston and bibb types), raw) .
Beets g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Butterhead 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 % |
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5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
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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% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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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 % |
|
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 butterhead lettuce or beets contain more calories in 100 grams?Butterhead lettuce has 70% less calories than beet - butterhead lettuce has 13 calories in 100g and beet has 43 calories.
Is butterhead lettuce or beets better for protein?
Butterhead lettuce and beets contain similar amounts of protein - butterhead lettuce has 1.4g of protein per 100 grams and beet has 1.6g of protein.
Does butterhead lettuce or beets have more carbohydrates?
By weight, butterhead lettuce has 3.2 times fewer carbohydrates than beet - butterhead lettuce has 2.2g of carbs for 100g and beet has 9.6g of carbohydrates. the carbs in butterhead lettuce are made of 50% dietary fiber and 50% sugar, whereas the carbs in beets comprise of 70% sugar and 30% dietary fiber.
Does butterhead lettuce or beets contain more potassium?
Both butterhead lettuce and beets are high in potassium. Beet has 40% more potassium than butterhead lettuce - butterhead lettuce has 238mg of potassium in 100 grams and beet has 325mg of potassium.