Papaya vs. Asparagus
Nutrition comparison of Papaya and Asparagus
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
papaya
versus
asparagus
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in papaya and asparagus:
- Asparagus has 3.1 times less sugar than papaya.
- Asparagus has 53% less calories than papaya.
- Asparagus has 64% less carbohydrates than papaya.
- Asparagus has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
- Asparagus is a great source of dietary fiber and iron.
- Papaya has more lycopene than asparagus, however, asparagus contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than papaya.
- Papaya is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Papaya (Papayas, raw) and Asparagus (Asparagus, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Asparagus has 53% less calories than papaya - asparagus has 20 calories per 100 grams and papaya has 43 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, papaya is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and similar to asparagus for fat. Papaya has a macronutrient ratio of 4:91:5 and for asparagus, 34:61:5 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Papaya | Asparagus | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4% | 34% |
| Carbohydrates | 91% | 61% |
| Fat | 5% | 5% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Asparagus has 64% less carbohydrates than papaya - asparagus has 3.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and papaya has 10.8g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Asparagus is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 24% more dietary fiber than papaya - asparagus has 2.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and papaya has 1.7g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Asparagus has 3.1 times less sugar than papaya - asparagus has 1.9g of sugar per 100 grams and papaya has 7.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Asparagus has 368% more protein than papaya - asparagus has 2.2g of protein per 100 grams and papaya has 0.47g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both asparagus and papaya are low in saturated fat - asparagus has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and papaya has 0.08g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Papaya is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has 988% more Vitamin C than asparagus - asparagus has 5.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and papaya has 60.9mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Asparagus and papaya contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - asparagus has 38ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and papaya has 47ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Asparagus and papaya contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - asparagus has 1.1mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and papaya has 0.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Asparagus has 15 times more Vitamin K than papaya - asparagus has 41.6ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and papaya has 2.6ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Asparagus has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6. Both papaya and asparagus contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid and folate.
| Papaya | Asparagus | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.143 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.027 MG | 0.141 MG |
| Niacin | 0.357 MG | 0.978 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.191 MG | 0.274 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.038 MG | 0.091 MG |
| Folate | 37 UG | 52 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Asparagus and papaya contain similar amounts of calcium - asparagus has 24mg of calcium per 100 grams and papaya has 20mg of calcium.
iron
Asparagus is a great source of iron and it has 756% more iron than papaya - asparagus has 2.1mg of iron per 100 grams and papaya has 0.25mg of iron.
potassium
Asparagus and papaya contain similar amounts of potassium - asparagus has 202mg of potassium per 100 grams and papaya has 182mg 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,
| Papaya | Asparagus | |
|---|---|---|
| apigenin | 0.01 mg | ~ |
| luteolin | 0.02 mg | ~ |
| kaempferol | 0.01 mg | 1.39 mg |
| myricetin | 0.02 mg | ~ |
| isorhamnetin | ~ | 5.7 mg |
| Quercetin | ~ | 13.98 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, papaya has more lycopene than asparagus per 100 grams, however, asparagus contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than papaya per 100 grams. Both papaya and asparagus contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
| Papaya | Asparagus | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 274 UG | 449 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 2 UG | 9 UG |
| lycopene | 1828 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 89 UG | 710 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, papaya has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than asparagus per 100 grams.
| Papaya | Asparagus | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.047 G | 0.01 G |
| Total | 0.047 G | 0.01 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both papaya and asparagus contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Papaya | Asparagus | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.011 G | 0.04 G |
| Total | 0.011 G | 0.04 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.
Papaya g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Asparagus 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 asparagus or papaya contain more calories in 100 grams?Asparagus has 50% less calories than papaya - asparagus has 20 calories in 100g and papaya has 43 calories.
Is asparagus or papaya better for protein?
Asparagus has 370% more protein than papaya - asparagus has 2.2g of protein per 100 grams and papaya has 0.47g of protein.
Does asparagus or papaya have more carbohydrates?
By weight, asparagus has 60% fewer carbohydrates than papaya - asparagus has 3.9g of carbs for 100g and papaya has 10.8g of carbohydrates.