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Beef vs. Chicken breast — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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Significant differences between Beef and Chicken breast

  • Beef has more Vitamin B12, Zinc, Iron, and Vitamin B2, however, Chicken breast is richer in Vitamin B3, and Vitamin B5.
  • Beef covers your daily Vitamin B12 needs 160% more than Chicken breast.
  • Chicken breast has 3 times less Zinc than Beef. Beef has 3.7mg of Zinc, while Chicken breast has 1.08mg.
  • Chicken breast contains less Saturated Fat.

Specific food types used in this comparison are Beef, loin, tenderloin roast, separable lean only, boneless, trimmed to 0" fat, select, cooked, roasted and Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, fried.

Infographic

Beef vs Chicken breast 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.
Beef
5
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 10% 3.9% 31% 114% 32% 101% 111% 7% 1.2% 139%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 22% 4.8% 24% 43% 18% 29% 105% 10% 2.7% 143%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +27.5%
Contains more IronIron +166.7%
Contains more CopperCopper +79.6%
Contains more ZincZinc +242.6%
Contains less SodiumSodium -31.6%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +121.4%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +23.1%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +133.3%
~equal in Phosphorus ~246mg
~equal in Selenium ~26.2µg

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.
Beef
3
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 0% 0.36% 5% 3% 19% 92% 108% 29% 154% 526% 4% 5.3% 41%
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 0% 1.4% 8.4% 3% 20% 29% 277% 62% 148% 46% 6% 3% 52%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +220%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +1037.8%
Contains more FolateFolate +75%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +283.3%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +68%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +156.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +116.2%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +50%
Contains more CholineCholine +26.9%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0.1µg
~equal in Vitamin B1 ~0.079mg
~equal in Vitamin B6 ~0.64mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Beef
2
28% 7% 66%
Protein: 27.55 g
Fats: 6.54 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 65.71 g
Other: 0.2 g
33% 5% 60%
Protein: 33.44 g
Fats: 4.71 g
Carbs: 0.51 g
Water: 60.21 g
Other: 1.13 g
Contains more FatsFats +38.9%
Contains more ProteinProtein +21.4%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +∞%
Contains more OtherOther +465%
~equal in Water ~60.21g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Beef
1
44% 47% 9%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 2.595 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 2.734 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.532 g
32% 42% 26%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 1.29 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 1.72 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.07 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +59%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -50.3%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +101.1%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Beef Chicken breast Opinion
Calories 169kcal 187kcal Chicken breast
Protein 27.55g 33.44g Chicken breast
Fats 6.54g 4.71g Beef
Net carbs 0g 0.51g Chicken breast
Carbs 0g 0.51g Chicken breast
Cholesterol 85mg 91mg Beef
Vitamin D 3IU 5IU Chicken breast
Magnesium 14mg 31mg Chicken breast
Calcium 13mg 16mg Chicken breast
Potassium 352mg 276mg Beef
Iron 3.04mg 1.14mg Beef
Copper 0.097mg 0.054mg Beef
Zinc 3.7mg 1.08mg Beef
Phosphorus 259mg 246mg Beef
Sodium 54mg 79mg Beef
Vitamin A 6IU 23IU Chicken breast
Vitamin A 2µg 7µg Chicken breast
Vitamin E 0.25mg 0.42mg Chicken breast
Vitamin D 0.1µg 0.1µg
Manganese 0.009mg 0.021mg Chicken breast
Selenium 25.4µg 26.2µg Chicken breast
Vitamin B1 0.074mg 0.079mg Chicken breast
Vitamin B2 0.4mg 0.125mg Beef
Vitamin B3 5.76mg 14.782mg Chicken breast
Vitamin B5 0.481mg 1.04mg Chicken breast
Vitamin B6 0.669mg 0.64mg Beef
Vitamin B12 4.21µg 0.37µg Beef
Vitamin K 1.6µg 2.4µg Chicken breast
Folate 7µg 4µg Beef
Trans Fat 0.375g Chicken breast
Choline 75.6mg 95.9mg Chicken breast
Saturated Fat 2.595g 1.29g Chicken breast
Monounsaturated Fat 2.734g 1.72g Beef
Polyunsaturated fat 0.532g 1.07g Chicken breast
Tryptophan 0.359mg 0.39mg Chicken breast
Threonine 1.534mg 1.412mg Beef
Isoleucine 1.52mg 1.765mg Chicken breast
Leucine 2.833mg 2.509mg Beef
Lysine 3.178mg 2.836mg Beef
Methionine 0.871mg 0.925mg Chicken breast
Phenylalanine 1.299mg 1.328mg Chicken breast
Valine 1.603mg 1.659mg Chicken breast
Histidine 1.244mg 1.037mg Beef
Omega-3 - EPA 0.002g 0.01g Chicken breast
Omega-3 - DHA 0.002g 0.03g Chicken breast
Omega-3 - ALA 0.013g Beef
Omega-3 - DPA 0.011g 0.02g Chicken breast
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid 0.017g Beef
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.002g Beef
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.349g Beef

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Beef Chicken breast
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet Equal

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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
76%
Beef
50%
Chicken breast
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
55%
Beef
40%
Chicken breast

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Chicken breast
Chicken breast is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 1.305g)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Beef
Beef is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 6mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Beef
Beef contains less Sodium (difference - 25mg)
Which food contains less Sugar?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Sugar (0 g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
?
The foods have equal glycemic indexes (0)
Which food is cheaper?
?
The foods are relatively equal in price ($)
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.
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
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. Beef - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174006/nutrients
  2. Chicken breast - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171078/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.