Butterhead Lettuce vs. Onion
Nutrition comparison of Butterhead Lettuce and Onion
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
butterhead lettuce
versus
onion
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in butterhead lettuce and onion:
- Butterhead lettuce has 3.1 times less carbohydrates than onion.
- Butterhead lettuce has 68% less calories than onion.
- Butterhead lettuce has more riboflavin, niacin and folate.
- Butterhead lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and potassium.
- Butterhead lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Butterhead Lettuce (Lettuce, butterhead (includes boston and bibb types), raw) and Onion (Onions, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Butterhead lettuce has 68% less calories than onion - butterhead lettuce has 13 calories per 100 grams and onion has 40 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, butterhead lettuce is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to onion per calorie. Butterhead lettuce has a macronutrient ratio of 35:54:11 and for onion, 10:88:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Butterhead Lettuce | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 35% | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 54% | 88% |
| Fat | 11% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Butterhead lettuce has 3.1 times less carbohydrates than onion - butterhead lettuce has 2.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and onion has 9.3g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Onion has 55% more dietary fiber than butterhead lettuce - butterhead lettuce has 1.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and onion has 1.7g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Butterhead lettuce and onion contain similar amounts of sugar - butterhead lettuce has 0.94g of sugar per 100 grams and onion has 4.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Butterhead lettuce and onion contain similar amounts of protein - butterhead lettuce has 1.4g of protein per 100 grams and onion has 1.1g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both butterhead lettuce and onion are low in saturated fat - butterhead lettuce has 0.03g of saturated fat per 100 grams and onion has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Onion has 100% more Vitamin C than butterhead lettuce - butterhead lettuce has 3.7mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and onion has 7.4mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Butterhead lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than onion - butterhead lettuce has 166ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and onion does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Butterhead lettuce and onion contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - butterhead lettuce has 0.18mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and onion has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Butterhead lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 254 times more Vitamin K than onion - butterhead lettuce has 102.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and onion has 0.4ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Butterhead lettuce has more riboflavin, niacin and folate. Both butterhead lettuce and onion contain significant amounts of thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Butterhead Lettuce | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.057 MG | 0.046 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.062 MG | 0.027 MG |
| Niacin | 0.357 MG | 0.116 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.15 MG | 0.123 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.082 MG | 0.12 MG |
| Folate | 73 UG | 19 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Butterhead lettuce has 52% more calcium than onion - butterhead lettuce has 35mg of calcium per 100 grams and onion has 23mg of calcium.
iron
Butterhead lettuce has 490% more iron than onion - butterhead lettuce has 1.2mg of iron per 100 grams and onion has 0.21mg of iron.
potassium
Butterhead lettuce is a great source of potassium and it has 63% more potassium than onion - butterhead lettuce has 238mg of potassium per 100 grams and onion has 146mg 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,
| Butterhead Lettuce | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| kaempferol | 0.02 mg | 0.65 mg |
| Quercetin | 2.73 mg | 20.3 mg |
| apigenin | ~ | 0.01 mg |
| luteolin | ~ | 0.02 mg |
| isorhamnetin | ~ | 5.01 mg |
| myricetin | ~ | 0.03 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,
| Butterhead Lettuce | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 1987 UG | 1 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 1223 UG | 4 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, butterhead lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than onion per 100 grams.
| Butterhead Lettuce | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.083 G | 0.004 G |
| Total | 0.083 G | 0.004 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both butterhead lettuce and onion contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Butterhead Lettuce | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.034 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.034 G | 0.013 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 Butterhead Lettuce or Onion .
Note: The specific food items compared are: Butterhead Lettuce (Lettuce, butterhead (includes boston and bibb types), raw) and Onion (Onions, raw) .
Butterhead Lettuce g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Onion 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 butterhead lettuce or onion contain more calories in 100 grams?Butterhead lettuce has 70% less calories than onion - butterhead lettuce has 13 calories in 100g and onion has 40 calories.
Is butterhead lettuce or onion better for protein?
Butterhead lettuce and onion contain similar amounts of protein - butterhead lettuce has 1.4g of protein per 100 grams and onion has 1.1g of protein.
Does butterhead lettuce or onion have more carbohydrates?
By weight, butterhead lettuce has 3.1 times fewer carbohydrates than onion - butterhead lettuce has 2.2g of carbs for 100g and onion has 9.3g of carbohydrates.