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Lentil vs. Fava beans — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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Summary of differences between Lentil and Fava beans

  • The amount of Iron, Folate, Fiber, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, and Vitamin B1 in Lentil is higher than in Fava beans.
  • Lentil covers your daily need of Iron 23% more than Fava beans.
  • Lentil contains 4 times more Vitamin B5 than Fava beans. While Lentil contains 0.638mg of Vitamin B5, Fava beans contains only 0.157mg.

These are the specific foods used in this comparison Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt and Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt.

Infographic

Lentil vs Fava beans infographic
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Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Lentil
6
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 26% 5.7% 33% 125% 84% 35% 77% 0.26% 64% 15%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 31% 11% 24% 56% 86% 28% 54% 0.65% 55% 14%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +37.7%
Contains more IronIron +122%
Contains more ZincZinc +25.7%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +44%
Contains less SodiumSodium -60%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +17.3%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +19.4%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +89.5%
~equal in Copper ~0.259mg
~equal in Selenium ~2.6µg

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Lentil
7
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 5% 0.48% 2.2% 0% 42% 17% 20% 38% 41% 0% 4.3% 136% 18%
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 1% 0.9% 0.4% 0% 24% 21% 13% 9.4% 17% 0% 7.3% 78% 17%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +400%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +450%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +74.2%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +49.1%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +306.4%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +147.2%
Contains more FolateFolate +74%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +87.5%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +21.9%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +70.6%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg
~equal in Choline ~30.6mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Lentil
3
9% 20% 70%
Protein: 9.02 g
Fats: 0.38 g
Carbs: 20.13 g
Water: 69.64 g
Other: 0.83 g
8% 20% 72%
Protein: 7.6 g
Fats: 0.4 g
Carbs: 19.65 g
Water: 71.54 g
Other: 0.81 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +18.7%
~equal in Fats ~0.4g
~equal in Carbs ~19.65g
~equal in Water ~71.54g
~equal in Other ~0.81g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Lentil
2
18% 22% 60%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.053 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.064 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.175 g
21% 26% 53%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.066 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.079 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.164 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -19.7%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +23.4%
~equal in Polyunsaturated fat ~0.164g

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Lentil Fava beans
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Rich in vitamins ok
Lower in price ok
Lower in Cholesterol Equal
Rich in minerals Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Lentil Fava beans Opinion
Calories 116kcal 110kcal Lentil
Protein 9.02g 7.6g Lentil
Fats 0.38g 0.4g Fava beans
Vitamin C 1.5mg 0.3mg Lentil
Net carbs 12.23g 14.25g Fava beans
Carbs 20.13g 19.65g Lentil
Magnesium 36mg 43mg Fava beans
Calcium 19mg 36mg Fava beans
Potassium 369mg 268mg Lentil
Iron 3.33mg 1.5mg Lentil
Sugar 1.8g 1.82g Lentil
Fiber 7.9g 5.4g Lentil
Copper 0.251mg 0.259mg Fava beans
Zinc 1.27mg 1.01mg Lentil
Phosphorus 180mg 125mg Lentil
Sodium 2mg 5mg Lentil
Vitamin A 8IU 15IU Fava beans
Vitamin A 0µg 1µg Fava beans
Vitamin E 0.11mg 0.02mg Lentil
Manganese 0.494mg 0.421mg Lentil
Selenium 2.8µg 2.6µg Lentil
Vitamin B1 0.169mg 0.097mg Lentil
Vitamin B2 0.073mg 0.089mg Fava beans
Vitamin B3 1.06mg 0.711mg Lentil
Vitamin B5 0.638mg 0.157mg Lentil
Vitamin B6 0.178mg 0.072mg Lentil
Vitamin K 1.7µg 2.9µg Fava beans
Folate 181µg 104µg Lentil
Choline 32.7mg 30.6mg Lentil
Saturated Fat 0.053g 0.066g Lentil
Monounsaturated Fat 0.064g 0.079g Fava beans
Polyunsaturated fat 0.175g 0.164g Lentil
Tryptophan 0.081mg 0.072mg Lentil
Threonine 0.323mg 0.27mg Lentil
Isoleucine 0.39mg 0.306mg Lentil
Leucine 0.654mg 0.572mg Lentil
Lysine 0.63mg 0.486mg Lentil
Methionine 0.077mg 0.062mg Lentil
Phenylalanine 0.445mg 0.321mg Lentil
Valine 0.448mg 0.338mg Lentil
Histidine 0.254mg 0.193mg Lentil

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Lentil Fava beans
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
25%
Lentil
14%
Fava beans
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
46%
Lentil
36%
Fava beans

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Lentil
Lentil is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.02g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Lentil
Lentil contains less Sodium (difference - 3mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Lentil
Lentil is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.013g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Lentil
Lentil is lower in glycemic index (difference - 50)
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Lentil
Lentil is relatively richer in vitamins
Which food is cheaper?
Fava beans
Fava beans is cheaper (difference - $1.1)
Which food contains less Cholesterol?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Cholesterol (0 mg)
Which food is richer in minerals?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Lentil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172421/nutrients
  2. Fava beans - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173753/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.