Papaya vs. Romaine Lettuce
Nutrition comparison of Papaya and Romaine Lettuce
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
papaya
versus
romaine lettuce
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in papaya and romaine lettuce:
- Papaya is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
- Romaine lettuce has 5.5 times less sugar than papaya.
- Romaine lettuce has 60% less calories than papaya.
- Romaine lettuce has 70% less carbohydrates than papaya.
- Romaine lettuce has more beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than papaya, however, papaya contains more lycopene than romaine lettuce.
- Romaine lettuce has more thiamin, 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: Papaya (Papayas, 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 60% less calories than papaya - romaine lettuce has 17 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 romaine lettuce per calorie. Papaya has a macronutrient ratio of 4:91:5 and for romaine lettuce, 26:65:10 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Papaya | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4% | 26% |
| Carbohydrates | 91% | 65% |
| Fat | 5% | 10% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Romaine lettuce has 70% less carbohydrates than papaya - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and papaya has 10.8g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Romaine lettuce is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 24% more dietary fiber than papaya - romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and papaya has 1.7g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Romaine lettuce has 5.5 times less sugar than papaya - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar per 100 grams and papaya has 7.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Romaine lettuce and papaya contain similar amounts of protein - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein per 100 grams and papaya has 0.47g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both romaine lettuce and papaya are low in saturated fat - romaine lettuce 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 14 times more Vitamin C than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and papaya has 60.9mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 828% more Vitamin A than papaya - romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and papaya has 47ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Romaine lettuce and papaya contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - romaine lettuce has 0.13mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and papaya has 0.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 38 times more Vitamin K than papaya - romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and papaya has 2.6ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Romaine lettuce has more thiamin, riboflavin and folate. Both papaya and romaine lettuce contain significant amounts of niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Papaya | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.027 MG | 0.067 MG |
| Niacin | 0.357 MG | 0.313 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.191 MG | 0.142 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.038 MG | 0.074 MG |
| Folate | 37 UG | 136 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Romaine lettuce has 65% more calcium than papaya - romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium per 100 grams and papaya has 20mg of calcium.
iron
Romaine lettuce has 288% more iron than papaya - romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron per 100 grams and papaya has 0.25mg of iron.
potassium
Romaine lettuce is a great source of potassium and it has 36% more potassium than papaya - romaine lettuce has 247mg 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 romaine lettuce contain small amounts of luteolin and kaempferol.
| Papaya | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| apigenin | 0.01 mg | ~ |
| luteolin | 0.02 mg | 0.05 mg |
| kaempferol | 0.01 mg | 0.02 mg |
| myricetin | 0.02 mg | ~ |
| Quercetin | ~ | 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, romaine lettuce has more beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than papaya per 100 grams, however, papaya contains more lycopene than romaine lettuce per 100 grams.
| Papaya | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 274 UG | 5226 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 2 UG | ~ |
| lycopene | 1828 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 89 UG | 2312 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, romaine lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than papaya per 100 grams.
| Papaya | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.047 G | 0.113 G |
| Total | 0.047 G | 0.113 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both papaya and romaine lettuce contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Papaya | Romaine Lettuce | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.011 G | 0.047 G |
| Total | 0.011 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: Papaya (Papayas, raw) and Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) .
Papaya g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Romaine Lettuce g
()
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 papaya contain more calories in 100 grams?Romaine lettuce has 60% less calories than papaya - romaine lettuce has 17 calories in 100g and papaya has 43 calories.
Does romaine lettuce or papaya have more carbohydrates?
By weight, romaine lettuce has 70% fewer carbohydrates than papaya - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbs for 100g and papaya has 10.8g of carbohydrates.