Lemon vs. Garlic
Nutrition comparison of Lemon and Garlic
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
lemon
versus
garlic
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in lemon and garlic:
- Both lemon and garlic are high in Vitamin C and dietary fiber.
- Garlic has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, lemon contains more folate.
- Garlic is an excellent source of calcium and potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Lemon (Lemons, raw, without peel) and Garlic (Garlic, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Garlic is high in calories and lemon has 81% less calories than garlic - lemon has 29 calories per 100 grams and garlic has 149 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, lemon is lighter in protein and similar to garlic for carbs and fat. Lemon has a macronutrient ratio of 10:84:6 and for garlic, 16:82:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Lemon | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 10% | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 84% | 82% |
| Fat | 6% | 3% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Garlic is high in carbohydrates and lemon has 72% less carbohydrates than garlic - lemon has 9.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and garlic has 33.1g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both lemon and garlic are high in dietary fiber. Lemon has 33% more dietary fiber than garlic - lemon has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and garlic has 2.1g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Lemon and garlic contain similar amounts of sugar - lemon has 2.5g of sugar per 100 grams and garlic has 1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Garlic has 478% more protein than lemon - lemon has 1.1g of protein per 100 grams and garlic has 6.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both lemon and garlic are low in saturated fat - lemon has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and garlic has 0.09g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Both lemon and garlic are high in Vitamin C. Lemon has 70% more Vitamin C than garlic - lemon has 53mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and garlic has 31.2mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Lemon and garlic contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - lemon has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and garlic does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Lemon and garlic contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - lemon has 0.15mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and garlic has 0.08mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Garlic and lemon contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - garlic has 1.7ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and lemon does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Garlic has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, lemon contains more folate.
| Lemon | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.04 MG | 0.2 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.02 MG | 0.11 MG |
| Niacin | 0.1 MG | 0.7 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.19 MG | 0.596 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.08 MG | 1.235 MG |
| Folate | 11 UG | 3 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Garlic is an excellent source of calcium and it has 596% more calcium than lemon - lemon has 26mg of calcium per 100 grams and garlic has 181mg of calcium.
iron
Garlic has 183% more iron than lemon - lemon has 0.6mg of iron per 100 grams and garlic has 1.7mg of iron.
potassium
Garlic is an excellent source of potassium and it has 191% more potassium than lemon - lemon has 138mg of potassium per 100 grams and garlic has 401mg 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, lemon has more luteolin than garlic per 100 grams, however, garlic contains more kaempferol and myricetin than lemon per 100 grams. Both lemon and garlic contain significant amounts of quercetin.
| Lemon | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| luteolin | 1.9 mg | ~ |
| kaempferol | 0.03 mg | 0.26 mg |
| myricetin | 0.5 mg | 1.61 mg |
| Quercetin | 1.14 mg | 1.74 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, both lemon and garlic contain small amounts of beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin.
| Lemon | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 3 UG | 5 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 1 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 11 UG | 16 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both lemon and garlic contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Lemon | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.026 G | 0.02 G |
| Total | 0.026 G | 0.02 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, garlic has more linoleic acid than lemon per 100 grams.
| Lemon | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.063 G | 0.229 G |
| Total | 0.063 G | 0.229 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.
Lemon g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Garlic 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 lemon or garlic contain more calories in 100 grams?Garlic is high in calories and lemon has 80% less calories than garlic - lemon has 29 calories in 100g and garlic has 149 calories.
Does lemon or garlic have more carbohydrates?
By weight, garlic is high in carbohydrates and lemon has 70% fewer carbohydrates than garlic - lemon has 9.3g of carbs for 100g and garlic has 33.1g of carbohydrates.
Does lemon or garlic contain more calcium?
Garlic is a rich source of calcium and it has 600% more calcium than lemon - lemon has 26mg of calcium in 100 grams and garlic has 181mg of calcium.
Does lemon or garlic contain more potassium?
Garlic is a rich source of potassium and it has 190% more potassium than lemon - lemon has 138mg of potassium in 100 grams and garlic has 401mg of potassium.