Chicken meat vs. Veal — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Introduction

In recent years, the question of red meat vs. white meat has become more prevalent. Since veal is red meat and chicken is white meat will compare veal vs. chicken meat according to their nutritional differences and health impacts. 

Nutrition

The nutritional information below is presented for ground, broiled veal, and roasted chicken broilers or fryers with meat and skin.

Chicken and veal are both lean meats and good sources of animal protein, but there are differences in their nutritional contents.

Vitamins

Veal is a better source of most B-group vitamins, including vitamins  B2, B5, and B12.

Veal is over 4 times richer in vitamin B12.

Chicken, on the other hand, contains vitamin A, which veal lacks entirely. Chicken is also richer in fat-soluble vitamin E and vitamin K.

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.

Chicken meat

3

Veal

6

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+80%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+100%

Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+11.1%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+60.7%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+12.6%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12	+323.3%
Contains more FolateFolate	+120%
Contains more CholineCholine	+44.2%

~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B3 ~8.03mg

~equal in Vitamin B6 ~0.39mg

Minerals

Veal is the winner in this category, being a better source of zinc, copper, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium.

More accurately, veal is 2 times richer in zinc.

Surprisingly, despite being white meat, chicken is richer in iron. It is also richer in selenium.

Without additionally added salt, the two contain similar amounts of sodium.

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.

Chicken meat

2

Veal

6

Contains more IronIron	+27.3%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+74.5%

Contains more CalciumCalcium	+13.3%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+51.1%
Contains more CopperCopper	+56.1%
Contains more ZincZinc	+99.5%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+19.2%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+75%

~equal in Magnesium ~24mg

~equal in Sodium ~83mg

Health Impact

Overall, red meat, including veal, has been researched to have various adverse effects on health, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and even premature death (2).

It can be said that unprocessed chicken meat is associated with a lower risk of adverse effects on health compared to veal.

You can find more detailed information about the health impact of red meat on our page.

Cardiovascular Health

Unlike poultry, an increased intake of red meat has been researched to lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (3).

Studies have also found that poultry intake has neutral, while red meat intake has adverse outcomes on cardiovascular effects related to obesity, weight gain, and stroke risk (4).

Research suggests that poultry, such as chicken, is a healthier alternative to red meat, such as veal when it comes to cardiovascular health (5).

It is important to mention that the consumption of red meat in moderation has its benefits aswell. Processed red meat can pose a risk to overall health aswell, but the amount also has to be taken into consideration. 

Diabetes

Chicken and veal both have a glycemic index of 0, as they do not contain carbohydrates. However, once again, red meat has been researched to increase the risk of developing diabetes and metabolic syndrome (6, 7).

The risk of developing diabetes can also depend on how you cook the meat. Frequently cooking meats at high temperatures, such as grilling or barbecuing, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes compared to cooking meats at moderate temperatures, such as stir-frying, sautéing, boiling, or steaming (8).

Cancer

There is strong scientific evidence that high consumption of red meat leads to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. The most specific increase of risk is with processed meats and nitrogen containing compounds added to it(9).

Red meat, such as veal, can also increase the risk of nasopharyngeal, lung, and pancreatic cancers (9).

According to the WHO and IARC, processed red meat is considered a class I carcinogen, and unprocessed red meat is considered a class 2A carcinogen (11)(12). However, IARC does not take into consideration the dosage of consumption, which is an important variable in this. 

Poultry intake has potential positive associations with the risk of prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (10).

References

1. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172395/nutrients
2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/whats-the-beef-with-red-meat
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10194058/ 
4. https://www.saxinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Evidence-Check_Animal-sourced-protein-meat-and-poultry-and-heart-health.pdf
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34542332/
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3173026/
7. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.691848/full
8. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2018/03/23/how-meat-is-cooked-may-affect-risk-of-type-2-diabetes/
9. https://www.aicr.org/cancer-prevention/food-facts/red-meat-beef-pork-lamb/
10. https://jech.bmj.com/content/73/Suppl_1/A15.1
11. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/ARCs-classification-of-red-and-processed-meat-Processed-meat-has-been-classified-as_fig1_322506640  
12. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/cancer-carcinogenicity-of-the-consumption-of-red-meat-and-processed-meat 
13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4772052/ 
14. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18469287/