Onion vs. Romaine Lettuce
Nutrition comparison of Onion and Romaine Lettuce
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
onion
versus
romaine lettuce
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in onion and romaine lettuce:
- Romaine lettuce has 58% less calories than onion.
- Romaine lettuce has 65% less carbohydrates than onion.
- Romaine lettuce has more riboflavin and folate.
- Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K, dietary fiber and potassium.
- Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Onion (Onions, raw) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Romaine lettuce has 58% less calories than onion - romaine lettuce has 17 calories per 100 grams and onion has 40 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, onion is lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to romaine lettuce per calorie. Onion has a macronutrient ratio of 11:87:3 and for romaine lettuce, 26:65:10 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Onion | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 11% | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 87% | 65% |
| Fat | 3% | 10% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Romaine lettuce has 65% less carbohydrates than onion - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and onion has 9.3g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Romaine lettuce is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 24% more dietary fiber than onion - romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and onion has 1.7g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Romaine lettuce and onion contain similar amounts of sugar - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar per 100 grams and onion has 4.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Romaine lettuce and onion contain similar amounts of protein - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein per 100 grams and onion has 1.1g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both romaine lettuce and onion are low in saturated fat - romaine lettuce has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and onion has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Onion has 85% more Vitamin C than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and onion has 7.4mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than onion - romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and onion does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Romaine lettuce and onion contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - romaine lettuce has 0.13mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and onion has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 255 times more Vitamin K than onion - romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and onion has 0.4ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Romaine lettuce has more riboflavin and folate. Both onion and romaine lettuce contain significant amounts of thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Onion | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.046 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.027 MG | 0.067 MG |
| Niacin | 0.116 MG | 0.313 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.123 MG | 0.142 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.12 MG | 0.074 MG |
| Folate | 19 UG | 136 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Romaine lettuce has 43% more calcium than onion - romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium per 100 grams and onion has 23mg of calcium.
iron
Romaine lettuce has 362% more iron than onion - romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron per 100 grams and onion has 0.21mg of iron.
potassium
Romaine lettuce is a great source of potassium and it has 69% more potassium than onion - romaine lettuce has 247mg 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, both onion and romaine lettuce contain small amounts of luteolin.
| Onion | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| apigenin | 0.01 mg | ~ |
| luteolin | 0.02 mg | 0.05 mg |
| isorhamnetin | 5.01 mg | ~ |
| kaempferol | 0.65 mg | 0.02 mg |
| myricetin | 0.03 mg | ~ |
| Quercetin | 20.3 mg | 2.2 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,
| Onion | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 1 UG | 5226 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 4 UG | 2312 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, romaine lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than onion per 100 grams.
| Onion | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.004 G | 0.113 G |
| Total | 0.004 G | 0.113 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both onion and romaine lettuce contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Onion | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.013 G | 0.047 G |
| Total | 0.013 G | 0.047 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.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Onion (Onions, raw) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) .
Onion g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Romaine Lettuce 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 romaine lettuce or onion contain more calories in 100 grams?Romaine lettuce has 60% less calories than onion - romaine lettuce has 17 calories in 100g and onion has 40 calories.
Does romaine lettuce or onion have more carbohydrates?
By weight, romaine lettuce has 70% fewer carbohydrates than onion - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbs for 100g and onion has 9.3g of carbohydrates.