Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
beets
versus
carrots
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in beets and carrots:
Beets and carrots contain similar amounts of calories - beet has 43 calories per 100 grams and carrot has 41 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, beets is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to carrots for fat. Beets has a macronutrient ratio of 14:83:3 and for carrots, 9:87:5 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
Beets | Carrots | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 14% | 9% |
Carbohydrates | 83% | 87% |
Fat | 3% | 5% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Beets and carrots contain similar amounts of carbs - beet has 9.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and carrot has 9.6g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in beets are made of 71% sugar and 29% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in carrots comprise of 53% sugar, 31% dietary fiber and 16% starch.
Both beets and carrots are high in dietary fiber. is very similar to beet for dietary fiber - beet has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and carrot has 2.8g of dietary fiber.
Beets and carrots contain similar amounts of sugar - beet has 6.8g of sugar per 100 grams and carrot has 4.7g of sugar.
Beets and carrots contain similar amounts of protein - beet has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and carrot has 0.93g of protein.
Both beets and carrots are low in saturated fat - beet has 0.03g of saturated fat per 100 grams and carrot has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Beets and carrots contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - beet has 4.9mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and carrot has 5.9mg of Vitamin C.
Carrot is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 416 times more Vitamin A than beet - beet has 2ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and carrot has 835ug of Vitamin A.
Beets and carrots contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - beet has 0.04mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and carrot has 0.66mg of Vitamin E.
Beets and carrots contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - beet has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and carrot has 13.2ug of Vitamin K.
Carrot has more niacin and Vitamin B6, however, beet contains more folate. Both beets and carrots contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid.
Beets | Carrots | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 0.031 MG | 0.066 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.04 MG | 0.058 MG |
Niacin | 0.334 MG | 0.983 MG |
Pantothenic acid | 0.155 MG | 0.273 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.067 MG | 0.138 MG |
Folate | 109 UG | 19 UG |
Carrot has 106% more calcium than beet - beet has 16mg of calcium per 100 grams and carrot has 33mg of calcium.
Beet has 167% more iron than carrot - beet has 0.8mg of iron per 100 grams and carrot has 0.3mg of iron.
Both beets and carrots are high in potassium. Beet is very similar to carrot for potassium - beet has 325mg of potassium per 100 grams and carrot has 320mg of potassium.
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 carrot per 100 grams, however, carrot contains more kaempferol than beet per 100 grams. Both beets and carrots contain significant amounts of quercetin.
Beets | Carrots | |
---|---|---|
luteolin | 0.37 mg | 0.11 mg |
Quercetin | 0.13 mg | 0.21 mg |
kaempferol | ~ | 0.24 mg |
myricetin | ~ | 0.04 mg |
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 | Carrots | |
---|---|---|
beta-carotene | 20 UG | 8285 UG |
alpha-carotene | ~ | 3477 UG |
lycopene | ~ | 1 UG |
lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 256 UG |
For omega-3 fatty acids, both beets and carrots contain small amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
Beets | Carrots | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 0.005 G | 0.002 G |
Total | 0.005 G | 0.002 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both beets and carrots contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
Beets | Carrots | |
---|---|---|
linoleic acid | 0.055 G | 0.1 G |
Total | 0.055 G | 0.1 G |
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.
Beets g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Carrots 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 | |||