Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
iceberg lettuce
versus
spirulina
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in iceberg lettuce and spirulina:
Spirulina is high in calories and iceberg lettuce has 95% less calories than spirulina - iceberg lettuce has 14 calories per 100 grams and spirulina has 290 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, iceberg lettuce is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to spirulina per calorie. Iceberg lettuce has a macronutrient ratio of 22:73:6 and for spirulina, 58:24:18 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
Iceberg Lettuce | Spirulina | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 22% | 58% |
Carbohydrates | 73% | 24% |
Fat | 6% | 18% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Iceberg lettuce has 7 times less carbohydrates than spirulina - iceberg lettuce has 3g of total carbs per 100 grams and spirulina has 23.9g of carbohydrates.
Spirulina is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 200% more dietary fiber than iceberg lettuce - iceberg lettuce has 1.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and spirulina has 3.6g of dietary fiber.
Iceberg lettuce and spirulina contain similar amounts of sugar - iceberg lettuce has 2g of sugar per 100 grams and spirulina has 3.1g of sugar.
Spirulina is an excellent source of protein and it has 62 times more protein than iceberg lettuce - iceberg lettuce has 0.9g of protein per 100 grams and spirulina has 57.5g of protein.
Iceberg lettuce has 146.2 times less saturated fat than spirulina - iceberg lettuce has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and spirulina has 2.7g of saturated fat.
Spirulina has 261% more Vitamin C than iceberg lettuce - iceberg lettuce has 2.8mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and spirulina has 10.1mg of Vitamin C.
Iceberg lettuce and spirulina contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - iceberg lettuce has 25ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and spirulina has 29ug of Vitamin A.
Spirulina has 26 times more Vitamin E than iceberg lettuce - iceberg lettuce has 0.18mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and spirulina has 5mg of Vitamin E.
Iceberg lettuce and spirulina contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - iceberg lettuce has 24.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and spirulina has 25.5ug of Vitamin K.
Spirulina has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
Iceberg Lettuce | Spirulina | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 0.041 MG | 2.38 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.025 MG | 3.67 MG |
Niacin | 0.123 MG | 12.82 MG |
Pantothenic acid | 0.091 MG | 3.48 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.042 MG | 0.364 MG |
Folate | 29 UG | 94 UG |
Spirulina is an excellent source of calcium and it has 567% more calcium than iceberg lettuce - iceberg lettuce has 18mg of calcium per 100 grams and spirulina has 120mg of calcium.
Spirulina is an excellent source of iron and it has 68 times more iron than iceberg lettuce - iceberg lettuce has 0.41mg of iron per 100 grams and spirulina has 28.5mg of iron.
Spirulina is an excellent source of potassium and it has 867% more potassium than iceberg lettuce - iceberg lettuce has 141mg of potassium per 100 grams and spirulina has 1363mg of potassium.
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, both iceberg lettuce and spirulina contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
Iceberg Lettuce | Spirulina | |
---|---|---|
beta-carotene | 299 UG | 342 UG |
alpha-carotene | 4 UG | ~ |
lutein + zeaxanthin | 277 UG | ~ |
For omega-3 fatty acids, spirulina has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than iceberg lettuce per 100 grams.
Iceberg Lettuce | Spirulina | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 0.052 G | 0.823 G |
Total | 0.052 G | 0.823 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, spirulina has more linoleic acid than iceberg lettuce per 100 grams.
Iceberg Lettuce | Spirulina | |
---|---|---|
linoleic acid | 0.021 G | 1.254 G |
Total | 0.021 G | 1.254 G |
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 Iceberg Lettuce or Spirulina .
Note: The specific food items compared are: Iceberg Lettuce (Lettuce, iceberg (includes crisphead types), raw) and Spirulina (Seaweed, spirulina, dried) .
Iceberg Lettuce g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Spirulina 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 | |||