Papaya vs. Butterhead Lettuce

Nutrition comparison of Papaya and Butterhead Lettuce


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of papaya versus butterhead lettuce (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in papaya and butterhead lettuce:

  • Butterhead lettuce has 3.8 times less carbohydrates than papaya.
  • Butterhead lettuce has 7.3 times less sugar than papaya.
  • Butterhead lettuce has 70% less calories than papaya.
  • Butterhead lettuce has more beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than papaya, however, papaya contains more lycopene than butterhead lettuce.
  • Butterhead lettuce has more thiamin and riboflavin.
  • Butterhead lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and potassium.
  • Butterhead lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
  • Papaya is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
Detailed nutritional comparison of papaya and butterhead lettuce is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Papaya (Papayas, raw) and Butterhead Lettuce (Lettuce, butterhead (includes boston and bibb types), raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Papaya src
Image of Butterhead Lettuce src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Butterhead lettuce has 70% less calories than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 13 calories per 100 grams and papaya has 43 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, papaya is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and lighter in fat compared to butterhead lettuce per calorie. Papaya has a macronutrient ratio of 4:91:5 and for butterhead lettuce, 33:57:11 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Papaya Butterhead Lettuce
Protein 4% 33%
Carbohydrates 91% 57%
Fat 5% 11%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Butterhead lettuce has 3.8 times less carbohydrates than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 2.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and papaya has 10.8g of carbohydrates.

dietary fiber

Papaya has 55% more dietary fiber than butterhead lettuce - butterhead lettuce has 1.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and papaya has 1.7g of dietary fiber.

sugar

Butterhead lettuce has 7.3 times less sugar than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 0.94g of sugar per 100 grams and papaya has 7.8g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Butterhead lettuce and papaya contain similar amounts of protein - butterhead lettuce has 1.4g of protein per 100 grams and papaya has 0.47g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both butterhead lettuce and papaya are low in saturated fat - butterhead lettuce has 0.03g 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 15 times more Vitamin C than butterhead lettuce - butterhead lettuce has 3.7mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and papaya has 60.9mg of Vitamin C.

Vitamin A

Butterhead lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 253% more Vitamin A than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 166ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and papaya has 47ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin E

Butterhead lettuce and papaya contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - butterhead lettuce has 0.18mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and papaya has 0.3mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Butterhead lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 38 times more Vitamin K than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 102.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and papaya has 2.6ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Butterhead lettuce has more thiamin and riboflavin. Both papaya and butterhead lettuce contain significant amounts of niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.

Papaya Butterhead Lettuce
Thiamin 0.023 MG 0.057 MG
Riboflavin 0.027 MG 0.062 MG
Niacin 0.357 MG 0.357 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.191 MG 0.15 MG
Vitamin B6 0.038 MG 0.082 MG
Folate 37 UG 73 UG

Minerals

calcium

Butterhead lettuce has 75% more calcium than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 35mg of calcium per 100 grams and papaya has 20mg of calcium.

iron

Butterhead lettuce has 396% more iron than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 1.2mg of iron per 100 grams and papaya has 0.25mg of iron.

potassium

Butterhead lettuce is a great source of potassium and it has 31% more potassium than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 238mg 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, both papaya and butterhead lettuce contain small amounts of kaempferol.

Papaya Butterhead Lettuce
apigenin 0.01 mg ~
luteolin 0.02 mg ~
kaempferol 0.01 mg 0.02 mg
myricetin 0.02 mg ~
Quercetin ~ 2.73 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, butterhead lettuce has more beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than papaya per 100 grams, however, papaya contains more lycopene than butterhead lettuce per 100 grams.

Papaya Butterhead Lettuce
beta-carotene 274 UG 1987 UG
alpha-carotene 2 UG ~
lycopene 1828 UG ~
lutein + zeaxanthin 89 UG 1223 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, both papaya and butterhead lettuce contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).

Papaya Butterhead Lettuce
alpha linoleic acid 0.047 G 0.083 G
Total 0.047 G 0.083 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both papaya and butterhead lettuce contain small amounts of linoleic acid.

Papaya Butterhead Lettuce
linoleic acid 0.011 G 0.034 G
Total 0.011 G 0.034 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: Papaya (Papayas, raw) and Butterhead Lettuce (Lettuce, butterhead (includes boston and bibb types), raw) .

Papaya g

()
Daily Values (%)

Butterhead Lettuce g

()
KCAL %
calories
KCAL %
G %
carbohydrates
G %
G %
dietary fiber
G %
G sugar G
G %
total fat
G %
G %
saturated fat
G %
G monounsaturated fat G
G polyunsaturated fat G
G trans fat G
MG cholesterol MG
MG %
sodium
MG %
Vitamins and Minerals
UG %
Vitamin A
UG %
MG %
Vitamin C
MG %
IU %
Vitamin D
IU %
MG %
calcium
MG %
MG %
iron
MG %
MG %
magnesium
MG %
MG %
potassium
MG %
MG %
thiamin (Vit B1)
MG %
MG %
riboflavin (Vit B2)
MG %
MG %
niacin (Vit B3)
MG %
MG %
Vitamin B6
MG %
MG %
pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
MG %
UG %
folate (Vit B9)
UG %
UG %
Vitamin B12
UG %
MG %
Vitamin E
MG %
UG %
Vitamin K
UG %
G %
protein
G %
UG %
biotin (Vit B7)
UG %
MG %
choline
MG %
MG %
chlorine
MG %
UG %
chromium
UG %
MG %
copper
MG %
UG %
fluoride
UG %
UG %
iodine
UG %
MG %
manganese
MG %
UG %
molybdenum
UG %
MG %
phosphorus
MG %
UG %
selenium
UG %
MG %
zinc
MG %
G Water G
G Starch G
G Alcohol G


FAQ

Does butterhead lettuce or papaya contain more calories in 100 grams?
Butterhead lettuce has 70% less calories than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 13 calories in 100g and papaya has 43 calories.

Is butterhead lettuce or papaya better for protein?
Butterhead lettuce and papaya contain similar amounts of protein - butterhead lettuce has 1.4g of protein per 100 grams and papaya has 0.47g of protein.

Does butterhead lettuce or papaya have more carbohydrates?
By weight, butterhead lettuce has 3.8 times fewer carbohydrates than papaya - butterhead lettuce has 2.2g of carbs for 100g and papaya has 10.8g of carbohydrates.