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Chicken thigh vs. Beef shank — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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A recap on differences between Chicken thigh and Beef shank

  • Chicken thigh is higher in Vitamin B5, and Vitamin B3, yet Beef shank is higher in Vitamin B12, Zinc, Iron, Selenium, Phosphorus, Copper, and Potassium.
  • Beef shank covers your daily Vitamin B12 needs 144% more than Chicken thigh.
  • Chicken thigh contains 3 times more Vitamin B5 than Beef shank. While Chicken thigh contains 1.285mg of Vitamin B5, Beef shank contains only 0.41mg.
  • The amount of Cholesterol in Beef shank is lower.

Food varieties used in this article are Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat only, cooked, fried and Beef, shank crosscuts, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, choice, cooked, simmered.

Infographic

Chicken thigh vs Beef shank 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 19% 3.9% 23% 55% 30% 76% 85% 12% 3.5% 112%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 21% 9.6% 39% 145% 57% 286% 113% 8.3% 2.6% 164%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +35%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +15.4%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +146.2%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +72.6%
Contains more IronIron +164.4%
Contains more CopperCopper +91.1%
Contains more ZincZinc +276%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +32.2%
Contains less SodiumSodium -32.6%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +46.3%

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% 4.2% 0% 6% 22% 59% 134% 77% 88% 41% 0% 6.8% 0%
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% 0% 0% 35% 48% 110% 25% 85% 474% 0% 7.5% 0%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +21.4%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +20.9%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +213.4%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +59.1%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +1048.5%
Contains more FolateFolate +11.1%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin E ~mg
~equal in Vitamin B6 ~0.37mg
~equal in Vitamin K ~µg
~equal in Choline ~mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
28% 10% 59%
Protein: 28.18 g
Fats: 10.3 g
Carbs: 1.18 g
Water: 59.31 g
Other: 1.03 g
34% 6% 58% 2%
Protein: 33.68 g
Fats: 6.36 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 58.21 g
Other: 1.75 g
Contains more FatsFats +61.9%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +∞%
Contains more ProteinProtein +19.5%
Contains more OtherOther +69.9%
~equal in Water ~58.21g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
31% 42% 27%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 2.78 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 3.82 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 2.43 g
43% 53% 4%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 2.29 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 2.86 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.21 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +33.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +1057.1%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -17.6%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Chicken thigh Beef shank Opinion
Calories 218kcal 201kcal Chicken thigh
Protein 28.18g 33.68g Beef shank
Fats 10.3g 6.36g Chicken thigh
Net carbs 1.18g 0g Chicken thigh
Carbs 1.18g 0g Chicken thigh
Cholesterol 102mg 78mg Beef shank
Vitamin D 8IU Chicken thigh
Magnesium 26mg 30mg Beef shank
Calcium 13mg 32mg Beef shank
Potassium 259mg 447mg Beef shank
Iron 1.46mg 3.86mg Beef shank
Copper 0.09mg 0.172mg Beef shank
Zinc 2.79mg 10.49mg Beef shank
Phosphorus 199mg 263mg Beef shank
Sodium 95mg 64mg Beef shank
Vitamin A 70IU 0IU Chicken thigh
Vitamin D 0.2µg Chicken thigh
Manganese 0.027mg 0.02mg Chicken thigh
Selenium 20.5µg 30µg Beef shank
Vitamin B1 0.088mg 0.14mg Beef shank
Vitamin B2 0.255mg 0.21mg Chicken thigh
Vitamin B3 7.12mg 5.89mg Chicken thigh
Vitamin B5 1.285mg 0.41mg Chicken thigh
Vitamin B6 0.38mg 0.37mg Chicken thigh
Vitamin B12 0.33µg 3.79µg Beef shank
Folate 9µg 10µg Beef shank
Saturated Fat 2.78g 2.29g Beef shank
Monounsaturated Fat 3.82g 2.86g Chicken thigh
Polyunsaturated fat 2.43g 0.21g Chicken thigh
Tryptophan 0.329mg 0.377mg Beef shank
Threonine 1.188mg 1.471mg Beef shank
Isoleucine 1.486mg 1.514mg Beef shank
Leucine 2.115mg 2.662mg Beef shank
Lysine 2.384mg 2.802mg Beef shank
Methionine 0.778mg 0.862mg Beef shank
Phenylalanine 1.121mg 1.315mg Beef shank
Valine 1.397mg 1.638mg Beef shank
Histidine 0.874mg 1.153mg Beef shank
Omega-3 - EPA 0.01g 0g Chicken thigh
Omega-3 - DHA 0.05g 0g Chicken thigh
Omega-3 - DPA 0.03g 0g Chicken thigh

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Chicken thigh Beef shank
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
34%
Chicken thigh
60%
Beef shank
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
42%
Chicken thigh
85%
Beef shank

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Beef shank
Beef shank is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 24mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Beef shank
Beef shank contains less Sodium (difference - 31mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Beef shank
Beef shank is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 0.49g)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Beef shank
Beef shank is relatively richer in minerals
Which food contains less Sugar?
?
The foods are relatively equal in Sugar ( 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 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 thigh - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172387/nutrients
  2. Beef shank - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169442/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.