Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
carrots
versus
leeks
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in carrots and leeks:
Carrot has 33% less calories than leek - leek has 61 calories per 100 grams and carrot has 41 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, carrots is similar to leeks for protein, carbs and fat. Carrots has a macronutrient ratio of 9:87:5 and for leeks, 9:86:5 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
Carrots | Leeks | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 9% | 9% |
Carbohydrates | 87% | 86% |
Fat | 5% | 5% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Leeks and carrots contain similar amounts of carbs - leek has 14.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and carrot has 9.6g of carbohydrates.
Carrot is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 56% more dietary fiber than leek - leek has 1.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and carrot has 2.8g of dietary fiber.
Leeks and carrots contain similar amounts of sugar - leek has 3.9g of sugar per 100 grams and carrot has 4.7g of sugar.
Leeks and carrots contain similar amounts of protein - leek has 1.5g of protein per 100 grams and carrot has 0.93g of protein.
Both leeks and carrots are low in saturated fat - leek has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and carrot has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Leek has 103% more Vitamin C than carrot - leek has 12mg 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 906% more Vitamin A than leek - leek has 83ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and carrot has 835ug of Vitamin A.
Leeks and carrots contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - leek has 0.92mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and carrot has 0.66mg of Vitamin E.
Leek has 256% more Vitamin K than carrot - leek has 47ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and carrot has 13.2ug of Vitamin K.
Carrot has more niacin, however, leek contains more folate. Both carrots and leeks contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
Carrots | Leeks | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 0.066 MG | 0.06 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.058 MG | 0.03 MG |
Niacin | 0.983 MG | 0.4 MG |
Pantothenic acid | 0.273 MG | 0.14 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.138 MG | 0.233 MG |
Folate | 19 UG | 64 UG |
Leek is a great source of calcium and it has 79% more calcium than carrot - leek has 59mg of calcium per 100 grams and carrot has 33mg of calcium.
Leek is a great source of iron and it has 600% more iron than carrot - leek has 2.1mg of iron per 100 grams and carrot has 0.3mg of iron.
Carrot is an excellent source of potassium and it has 78% more potassium than leek - leek has 180mg 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, leek has more kaempferol and myricetin than carrot per 100 grams, however, carrot contains more quercetin than leek per 100 grams.
Carrots | Leeks | |
---|---|---|
luteolin | 0.11 mg | ~ |
kaempferol | 0.24 mg | 2.67 mg |
myricetin | 0.04 mg | 0.22 mg |
Quercetin | 0.21 mg | 0.09 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, carrot has more beta-carotene and alpha-carotene than leek per 100 grams, however, leek contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than carrot per 100 grams.
Carrots | Leeks | |
---|---|---|
beta-carotene | 8285 UG | 1000 UG |
alpha-carotene | 3477 UG | ~ |
lycopene | 1 UG | ~ |
lutein + zeaxanthin | 256 UG | 1900 UG |
For omega-3 fatty acids, leek has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than carrot per 100 grams.
Carrots | Leeks | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 0.002 G | 0.099 G |
Total | 0.002 G | 0.099 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both carrots and leeks contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
Carrots | Leeks | |
---|---|---|
linoleic acid | 0.1 G | 0.067 G |
Total | 0.1 G | 0.067 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.
Carrots g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Leeks 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 | |||