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Chicken meat vs. Beef — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the main differences between chicken meat and beef?

  • Chicken meat is richer in vitamin B3, vitamin B5, and vitamin A, while beef is higher in vitamin B12, iron, vitamin B6, vitamin B2, zinc, and phosphorus.
  • Beef's daily need coverage for vitamin B12 is 163% higher.
  • Beef has 24 times less vitamin A than chicken meat. Chicken meat has 48µg of vitamin A, while beef has 2µg.
  • Beef is lower in saturated fat.

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

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Chicken meat vs Beef 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.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 16% 4.5% 20% 47% 22% 53% 78% 11% 2.6% 130%
Beef
6
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%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +64.3%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +15.4%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +122.2%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +57.8%
Contains more IronIron +141.3%
Contains more CopperCopper +47%
Contains more ZincZinc +90.7%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +42.3%
Contains less SodiumSodium -34.1%
~equal in Selenium ~25.4µg

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.
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% 16% 5.4% 0% 16% 39% 159% 62% 92% 38% 6% 3.8% 36%
Beef
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 0% 0.67% 5% 1.5% 19% 92% 108% 29% 154% 526% 4% 5.3% 41%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +2300%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +47.3%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +114.1%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +50%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +17.5%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +138.1%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +67.3%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +1303.3%
Contains more FolateFolate +40%
Contains more CholineCholine +14.7%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin E ~0.25mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
27% 14% 59%
Protein: 27.3 g
Fats: 13.6 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 59.45 g
Other: 0 g
Beef
3
28% 7% 66%
Protein: 27.55 g
Fats: 6.54 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 65.71 g
Other: 0.2 g
Contains more FatsFats +108%
Contains more WaterWater +10.5%
~equal in Protein ~27.55g
~equal in Carbs ~0g
~equal in Other ~0.2g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
31% 44% 25%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 3.79 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 5.34 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 2.97 g
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
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +95.3%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +458.3%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -31.5%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Chicken meat Beef DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 0.3µg 4.21µg 163%
Iron 1.26mg 3.04mg 22%
Vitamin B6 0.4mg 0.669mg 21%
Vitamin B2 0.168mg 0.4mg 18%
Vitamin B3 8.487mg 5.76mg 17%
Polyunsaturated fat 2.97g 0.532g 16%
Zinc 1.94mg 3.7mg 16%
Fats 13.6g 6.54g 11%
Vitamin B5 1.03mg 0.481mg 11%
Phosphorus 182mg 259mg 11%
Monounsaturated fat 5.34g 2.734g 7%
Vitamin A 48µg 2µg 5%
Saturated fat 3.79g 2.595g 5%
Calories 239kcal 169kcal 4%
Potassium 223mg 352mg 4%
Copper 0.066mg 0.097mg 3%
Selenium 23.9µg 25.4µg 3%
Magnesium 23mg 14mg 2%
Choline 65.9mg 75.6mg 2%
Cholesterol 88mg 85mg 1%
Vitamin D 0µg 0.1µg 1%
Vitamin B1 0.063mg 0.074mg 1%
Sodium 82mg 54mg 1%
Protein 27.3g 27.55g 1%
Vitamin K 2.4µg 1.6µg 1%
Folate 5µg 7µg 1%
Vitamin D 2IU 3IU 0%
Calcium 15mg 13mg 0%
Vitamin E 0.27mg 0.25mg 0%
Manganese 0.02mg 0.009mg 0%
Trans fat 0.375g N/A
Tryptophan 0.305mg 0.359mg 0%
Threonine 1.128mg 1.534mg 0%
Isoleucine 1.362mg 1.52mg 0%
Leucine 1.986mg 2.833mg 0%
Lysine 2.223mg 3.178mg 0%
Methionine 0.726mg 0.871mg 0%
Phenylalanine 1.061mg 1.299mg 0%
Valine 1.325mg 1.603mg 0%
Histidine 0.802mg 1.244mg 0%
Omega-3 - EPA 0.01g 0.002g N/A
Omega-3 - DHA 0.04g 0.002g N/A
Omega-3 - ALA 0.013g N/A
Omega-3 - DPA 0.02g 0.011g N/A
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid 0.017g N/A
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.002g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.349g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Chicken meat Beef
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet Equal
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
36%
Chicken meat
76%
Beef
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
38%
Chicken meat
55%
Beef

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Beef
Beef is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 3mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Beef
Beef contains less Sodium (difference - 28mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Beef
Beef is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 1.195g)
Which food is cheaper?
Beef
Beef is cheaper (difference - $1)
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 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. Chicken meat - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171450/nutrients
  2. Beef - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174006/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.