Gooseberry Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Indian gooseberry (amla, Phyllanthus emblica) contains approximately 600mg vitamin C per 100g — 667% of the daily value. European gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) contains just 27.7mg — 31% DV. Despite sharing the name 'gooseberry,' these are entirely different botanical species from different plant families, separated by a 22-fold vitamin C difference ^[1][2].

Amla's 600mg vitamin C per 100g places it among the top 5 vitamin C sources in the natural food kingdom: behind acerola cherry (~1678mg) and camu camu (~2800mg), but ahead of black currant (181mg), guava (228mg), and kiwi (93mg). A single medium amla (~25g) delivers 150mg vitamin C — 167% of the daily value from one small fruit.

For food journaling, always specify which gooseberry — European or Indian/amla. The vitamin C difference is so extreme that confusing them would cause massive logging errors. If using an app that lists generic 'gooseberry,' verify which species the data represents.

European gooseberry at 44 kcal per 100g is one of the lowest-calorie fruits — below strawberry (33 kcal only), watermelon (30 kcal), and comparable to grapefruit (42 kcal). Amla at 60 kcal per 100g is slightly higher but still low. One cup of European gooseberries (150g) has just 66 kcal with 6.5g fiber — making it one of the best fiber-per-calorie fruit options ^[1][3].

The macronutrient profiles differ: European gooseberry has more fat (0.58g vs 0.10g), more protein (0.88g vs 0.50g), and less carbohydrate (10.2g vs 14.1g) per 100g. Amla has more iron (1.2mg vs 0.31mg) and incomparably more vitamin C (600mg vs 27.7mg).

For food journaling, both gooseberries are low-calorie, nutrient-rich options. European gooseberry's fiber-to-calorie ratio (0.098g/kcal) rivals blackberry and raspberry. Amla's vitamin C-to-calorie ratio (10mg/kcal) is unmatched by any common fruit.

European gooseberry provides 4.3g fiber per 100g at just 44 kcal — a fiber-to-calorie ratio of 0.098, among the highest for any fruit. One cup (150g) delivers 6.5g fiber — 23% of the daily value — at just 66 calories. This fiber density rivals blackberry (5.3g), raspberry (6.5g), and avocado (6.8g) ^[1].

Amla has 3.4g fiber per 100g — lower than European gooseberry but still above average for fruits. The fiber in both types is primarily insoluble (from seeds and skin) with some soluble pectin. European gooseberries' translucent green skin contains more cellulose than the smooth skin of amla.

For food journaling, European gooseberry is a superb fiber source relative to its calories. A cup at 66 kcal and 6.5g fiber means you get 23% of daily fiber for about 3% of daily calories. Few foods offer this fiber efficiency.

Amla provides 1.2mg iron per 100g — 7% of the daily value (18mg). This is notably high for a fruit: apple has 0.12mg, banana 0.26mg, and orange 0.10mg. Only mulberry (1.85mg), black currant (1.54mg), and passion fruit (1.6mg) commonly exceed amla's iron content per 100g ^[2][4].

What makes amla's iron compositionally significant is its co-occurrence with 600mg vitamin C in the same fruit. Vitamin C is well-documented to enhance non-heme iron absorption. Amla is arguably the most self-sufficient iron-plus-vitamin-C food combination found in nature — no other single fruit provides this quantity of both nutrients simultaneously.

For food journaling, amla's iron contribution is meaningful in the Indian dietary context, where iron intake from plant sources is common. Two amla fruits (~50g) provide 0.6mg iron (3% DV) alongside 300mg vitamin C — the vitamin C potentially enhancing absorption of iron from the entire meal.

Unlike most fruits where vitamin C degrades rapidly during drying, cooking, or storage, amla's vitamin C has been shown to be unusually stable. Research attributes this to the presence of tannins (polyphenols) that form complexes with ascorbic acid, partially protecting it from oxidative degradation. Dried amla powder retains significantly more vitamin C than would be expected from standard degradation curves ^[4].

Traditional Indian preparations like amla candy (amla toffee), amla murabba (sugar-preserved), and chyawanprash (ayurvedic jam containing amla as the primary ingredient) retain measurable vitamin C, though the exact amounts vary by processing method and storage duration. Fresh amla juice (30ml) provides approximately 180mg vitamin C — 200% DV in just one shot.

For food journaling, fresh amla provides the most reliable vitamin C values. Processed amla products (candy, murabba, powder) retain more vitamin C than equivalent products from other fruits, but the exact amounts are harder to verify. Use the fresh amla values (600mg/100g) only for fresh fruit; reduce estimates by 30-50% for processed forms.