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Lentil vs. Ground beef — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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A recap on differences between lentil and ground beef

  • Lentil has more folate, fiber, manganese, and copper; however, ground beef is higher in vitamin B12, zinc, selenium, and vitamin B3.
  • Ground beef covers your daily vitamin B12 needs 104% more than lentil.
  • Lentil has less saturated fat.
  • The glycemic index of lentil is higher.

Food varieties used in this article are Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt and Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, loaf, cooked, baked.

Infographic

Lentil vs Ground beef infographic
Infographic link

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.
Lentil
6
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 26% 5.7% 33% 125% 84% 35% 77% 0.26% 64% 15%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 12% 9.9% 21% 85% 26% 159% 71% 9.5% 1.2% 104%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +111.8%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +53.1%
Contains more IronIron +46.7%
Contains more CopperCopper +217.7%
Contains less SodiumSodium -97.3%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +5388.9%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +73.7%
Contains more ZincZinc +359.8%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +582.1%
~equal in Phosphorus ~166mg

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.
Lentil
4
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 5% 0% 2.2% 0% 42% 17% 20% 38% 41% 0% 4.3% 136% 18%
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% 2.4% 0% 13% 39% 75% 31% 72% 311% 7.3% 5.3% 40%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +231.4%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +24.6%
Contains more FolateFolate +2485.7%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +134.2%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +279.8%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +74.7%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +70.6%
Contains more CholineCholine +123.9%
~equal in Vitamin E ~0.12mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Lentil
2
9% 20% 70%
Protein: 9.02 g
Fats: 0.38 g
Carbs: 20.13 g
Water: 69.64 g
Other: 0.83 g
24% 15% 58% 2%
Protein: 23.87 g
Fats: 15.37 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 58.37 g
Other: 2.39 g
Contains more CarbsCarbs +∞%
Contains more WaterWater +19.3%
Contains more ProteinProtein +164.6%
Contains more FatsFats +3944.7%
Contains more OtherOther +188%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Lentil
1
18% 22% 60%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.053 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.064 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.175 g
44% 53% 3%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 6.073 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 7.322 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.408 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -99.1%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +11340.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +133.1%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Lentil Ground beef DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 0µg 2.49µg 104%
Folate 181µg 7µg 44%
Zinc 1.27mg 5.84mg 42%
Fiber 7.9g 0g 32%
Protein 9.02g 23.87g 30%
Selenium 2.8µg 19.1µg 30%
Cholesterol 0mg 88mg 29%
Saturated fat 0.053g 6.073g 27%
Fats 0.38g 15.37g 23%
Manganese 0.494mg 0.009mg 21%
Vitamin B3 1.06mg 4.026mg 19%
Copper 0.251mg 0.079mg 19%
Monounsaturated fat 0.064g 7.322g 18%
Iron 3.33mg 2.27mg 13%
Vitamin B6 0.178mg 0.311mg 10%
Vitamin B1 0.169mg 0.051mg 10%
Vitamin B2 0.073mg 0.171mg 8%
Choline 32.7mg 73.2mg 7%
Carbs 20.13g 0g 7%
Calories 116kcal 241kcal 6%
Magnesium 36mg 17mg 5%
Potassium 369mg 241mg 4%
Sodium 2mg 73mg 3%
Vitamin B5 0.638mg 0.512mg 3%
Vitamin C 1.5mg 0mg 2%
Phosphorus 180mg 166mg 2%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.175g 0.408g 2%
Calcium 19mg 33mg 1%
Vitamin K 1.7µg 2.9µg 1%
Net carbs 12.23g 0g N/A
Vitamin D 0IU 2IU 0%
Sugar 1.8g 0g N/A
Vitamin E 0.11mg 0.12mg 0%
Vitamin A 0µg 3µg 0%
Trans fat 0g 1.173g N/A
Tryptophan 0.081mg 0.121mg 0%
Threonine 0.323mg 0.923mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.39mg 1.055mg 0%
Leucine 0.654mg 1.861mg 0%
Lysine 0.63mg 1.976mg 0%
Methionine 0.077mg 0.614mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.445mg 0.931mg 0%
Valine 0.448mg 1.172mg 0%
Histidine 0.254mg 0.775mg 0%
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0.008g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Lentil Ground beef
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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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
25%
Lentil
46%
Ground beef
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
46%
Lentil
50%
Ground beef

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Lentil
Lentil is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 88mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Lentil
Lentil contains less Sodium (difference - 71mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Lentil
Lentil is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 6.02g)
Which food is cheaper?
Lentil
Lentil is cheaper (difference - $0.9)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Ground beef
Ground beef is lower in Sugar (difference - 1.8g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Ground beef
Ground beef is lower in glycemic index (difference - 29)
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Ground beef
Ground beef is relatively richer in vitamins
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.

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. Lentil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172421/nutrients
  2. Ground beef - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169474/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.