Romaine Lettuce vs. Squash
Nutrition comparison of Romaine Lettuce and Cooked Squash
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
romaine lettuce
versus
cooked
squash
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in romaine lettuce and squash:
- Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in Vitamin A, dietary fiber and potassium.
- Romaine lettuce has 58% less calories than squash.
- Romaine lettuce has 69% less carbohydrates than squash.
- Romaine lettuce has more lutein + zeaxanthin than squash, however, squash contains more alpha-carotene than romaine lettuce.
- Romaine lettuce has more riboflavin and folate, however, squash contains more niacin and pantothenic acid.
- Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K.
- Squash is a great source of Vitamin C.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) and Squash (Squash, winter, butternut, cooked, baked, without salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Romaine lettuce has 58% less calories than squash - romaine lettuce has 17 calories per 100 grams and squash has 40 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, romaine lettuce is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to squash per calorie. Romaine lettuce has a macronutrient ratio of 26:65:10 and for squash, 8:91:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Romaine Lettuce | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 26% | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 65% | 91% |
| Fat | 10% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Romaine lettuce has 69% less carbohydrates than squash - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and squash has 10.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in dietary fiber. Squash has 52% more dietary fiber than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and squash has 3.2g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of sugar - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar per 100 grams and squash has 2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of protein - romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein per 100 grams and squash has 0.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both romaine lettuce and squash are low in saturated fat - romaine lettuce has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and squash has 0.02g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Squash is a great source of Vitamin C and it has 278% more Vitamin C than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and squash has 15.1mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in Vitamin A. Squash has 28% more Vitamin A than romaine lettuce - romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and squash has 558ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - romaine lettuce has 0.13mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and squash has 1.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 101 times more Vitamin K than squash - romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and squash has 1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Romaine lettuce has more riboflavin and folate, however, squash contains more niacin and pantothenic acid. Both romaine lettuce and squash contain significant amounts of thiamin and Vitamin B6.
| Romaine Lettuce | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.072 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.067 MG | 0.017 MG |
| Niacin | 0.313 MG | 0.969 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.142 MG | 0.359 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.074 MG | 0.124 MG |
| Folate | 136 UG | 19 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of calcium - romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium per 100 grams and squash has 41mg of calcium.
iron
Romaine lettuce and squash contain similar amounts of iron - romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron per 100 grams and squash has 0.6mg of iron.
potassium
Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in potassium. Romaine lettuce is very similar to romaine lettuce for potassium - romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium per 100 grams and squash has 284mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
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 lutein + zeaxanthin than squash per 100 grams, however, squash contains more alpha-carotene than romaine lettuce per 100 grams. Both romaine lettuce and squash contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
| Romaine Lettuce | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 5226 UG | 4570 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 2312 UG | ~ |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 1130 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, romaine lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than squash per 100 grams.
| Romaine Lettuce | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.113 G | 0.024 G |
| Total | 0.113 G | 0.024 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both romaine lettuce and squash contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Romaine Lettuce | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.047 G | 0.014 G |
| Total | 0.047 G | 0.014 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: Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) and Squash (Squash, winter, butternut, cooked, baked, without salt) .
Romaine Lettuce g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Squash 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 % |
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5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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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 % |
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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 % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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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 squash contain more calories in 100 grams?Romaine lettuce has 60% less calories than squash - romaine lettuce has 17 calories in 100g and squash has 40 calories.
Does romaine lettuce or squash have more carbohydrates?
By weight, romaine lettuce has 70% fewer carbohydrates than squash - romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbs for 100g and squash has 10.5g of carbohydrates.
Does romaine lettuce or squash contain more potassium?
Both romaine lettuce and squash are high in potassium. Romaine lettuce is very similar to romaine lettuce for potassium - romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium in 100 grams and squash has 284mg of potassium.