Romaine Lettuce vs. Sweet Potatoes
Nutrition comparison of Romaine Lettuce and Sweet Potatoes
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
romaine lettuce
versus
sweet potatoes
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in romaine lettuce and sweet potatoes:
- Both sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce are high in Vitamin A, dietary fiber and potassium.
- Romaine lettuce has 4 times less calories than sweet potato.
- Romaine lettuce has 5.1 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato.
- Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K.
- Sweet potato has more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, romaine lettuce contains more folate.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Romaine Lettuce (Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw) and Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Romaine lettuce has 4 times less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 17 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, romaine lettuce is heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to sweet potatoes per calorie. Romaine lettuce has a macronutrient ratio of 26:65:10 and for sweet potatoes, 7:92:1 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Romaine Lettuce | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 26% | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 65% | 92% |
| Fat | 10% | 1% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Romaine lettuce has 5.1 times less carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in sweet potatoes are made of 64% starch, 21% sugar and 15% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in romaine lettuce comprise of 64% dietary fiber and 36% sugar.
dietary fiber
Both sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce are high in dietary fiber. Sweet potato has 43% more dietary fiber than romaine lettuce - sweet potato has 3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 2.1g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of sugar - sweet potato has 4.2g of sugar per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 1.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of protein - sweet potato has 1.6g of protein per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 1.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce are low in saturated fat - sweet potato has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - sweet potato has 2.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 4mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Both sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce are high in Vitamin A. Sweet potato has 63% more Vitamin A than romaine lettuce - sweet potato has 709ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 436ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sweet potato has 0.26mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.13mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Romaine lettuce is a great source of Vitamin K and it has 55 times more Vitamin K than sweet potato - sweet potato has 1.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 102.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Sweet potato has more pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, romaine lettuce contains more folate. Both romaine lettuce and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin and niacin.
| Romaine Lettuce | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.072 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.067 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Niacin | 0.313 MG | 0.557 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.142 MG | 0.8 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.074 MG | 0.209 MG |
| Folate | 136 UG | 11 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of calcium - sweet potato has 30mg of calcium per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 33mg of calcium.
iron
Sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce contain similar amounts of iron - sweet potato has 0.61mg of iron per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 0.97mg of iron.
potassium
Both sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 36% more potassium than romaine lettuce - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium per 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 247mg 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 romaine lettuce and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of luteolin and kaempferol.
| Romaine Lettuce | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| luteolin | 0.05 mg | 0.02 mg |
| kaempferol | 0.02 mg | 0.01 mg |
| Quercetin | 2.2 mg | 0.01 mg |
| apigenin | ~ | 0.01 mg |
| myricetin | ~ | 0.03 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, both romaine lettuce and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
| Romaine Lettuce | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 5226 UG | 8509 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 2312 UG | ~ |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 7 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, romaine lettuce has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sweet potato per 100 grams.
| Romaine Lettuce | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.113 G | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.113 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both romaine lettuce and sweet potatoes contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Romaine Lettuce | Sweet Potatoes | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.047 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.047 G | 0.013 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 Sweet Potatoes (Sweet potato, raw, unprepared) .
Romaine Lettuce g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Sweet Potatoes g
()
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
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5% | calories | 5% |
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KCAL % | |
| G % |
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5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
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G % | |
| G % |
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5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
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G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
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5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
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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 % |
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5% | sodium | 5% |
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MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
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MG % | |
| IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
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IU % | |
| MG % |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
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MG % | |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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MG % | |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
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MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
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UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
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MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
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| G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
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G % | |
| UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
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MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
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UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
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MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | fluoride | 5% |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
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| UG % |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does sweet potatoes or romaine lettuce contain more calories in 100 grams?Romaine lettuce has 4 times less calories than sweet potato - sweet potato has 86 calories in 100g and romaine lettuce has 17 calories.
Does sweet potatoes or romaine lettuce have more carbohydrates?
By weight, romaine lettuce has 5.1 times fewer carbohydrates than sweet potato - sweet potato has 20.1g of carbs for 100g and romaine lettuce has 3.3g of carbohydrates. the carbs in sweet potatoes are made of 60% starch, 20% sugar and 20% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in romaine lettuce comprise of 60% dietary fiber and 40% sugar.
Does sweet potatoes or romaine lettuce contain more potassium?
Both sweet potatoes and romaine lettuce are high in potassium. Sweet potato has 40% more potassium than romaine lettuce - sweet potato has 337mg of potassium in 100 grams and romaine lettuce has 247mg of potassium.