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Meat vs. Beef — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are Meat and Beef different?

  • Meat is higher in Vitamin B1, Selenium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, and Phosphorus, however, Beef is richer in Vitamin B12, Zinc, and Iron.
  • Daily need coverage for Vitamin B12 from Beef is 86% higher.
  • Meat contains 21 times more Vitamin B1 than Beef. While Meat contains 0.95mg of Vitamin B1, Beef contains only 0.046mg.
  • Meat has less Saturated Fat.

Pork, fresh, loin, tenderloin, separable lean only, cooked, roasted and Beef, ground, 85% lean meat / 15% fat, patty, cooked, broiled are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

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.
Meat
Meat
7
:
3
Beef
Beef
Contains more Magnesium +38.1%
Contains more Phosphorus +34.8%
Contains more Potassium +32.4%
Contains less Sodium -20.8%
Contains more Copper +30.6%
Contains more Selenium +77.7%
Contains more Calcium +200%
Contains more Iron +126.1%
Contains more Zinc +160.7%
Equal in Manganese - 0.012
Meat
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 2% 44% 21% 115% 38% 8% 66% 37% 2% 209%
Beef
Calcium Iron Magnesium Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium 6% 98% 15% 85% 29% 10% 173% 29% 2% 118%
Contains more Magnesium +38.1%
Contains more Phosphorus +34.8%
Contains more Potassium +32.4%
Contains less Sodium -20.8%
Contains more Copper +30.6%
Contains more Selenium +77.7%
Contains more Calcium +200%
Contains more Iron +126.1%
Contains more Zinc +160.7%
Equal in Manganese - 0.012

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.
Meat
Meat
6
:
5
Beef
Beef
Contains more Vitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +1965.2%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +119.9%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +38.2%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +53.8%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +93.5%
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin E +50%
Contains more Folate +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B12 +363.2%
Contains more Vitamin K +∞%
Meat
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 0% 2% 6% 0% 238% 90% 140% 61% 171% 0% 72% 0%
Beef
Vitamin A Vitamin E Vitamin D Vitamin C Vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 Vitamin B3 Vitamin B5 Vitamin B6 Folate Vitamin B12 Vitamin K 1% 3% 0% 0% 12% 41% 101% 40% 89% 7% 331% 3%
Contains more Vitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1 +1965.2%
Contains more Vitamin B2 +119.9%
Contains more Vitamin B3 +38.2%
Contains more Vitamin B5 +53.8%
Contains more Vitamin B6 +93.5%
Contains more Vitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin E +50%
Contains more Folate +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B12 +363.2%
Contains more Vitamin K +∞%

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Meat
Meat
3
:
1
Beef
Beef
Contains more Water +19.8%
Contains more Other +27.9%
Contains more Fats +339%
Equal in Protein - 25.93
Meat
26% 4% 69%
Protein: 26.17 g
Fats: 3.51 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 69.45 g
Other: 0.87 g
Beef
26% 15% 58%
Protein: 25.93 g
Fats: 15.41 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 57.98 g
Other: 0.68 g
Contains more Water +19.8%
Contains more Other +27.9%
Contains more Fats +339%
Equal in Protein - 25.93

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Meat
Meat
2
:
1
Beef
Beef
Contains less Saturated Fat -79.7%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +399.9%
Equal in Polyunsaturated fat - 0.484
Meat
39% 44% 17%
Saturated Fat: 1.198 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 1.334 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.506 g
Beef
45% 51% 4%
Saturated Fat: 5.895 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 6.668 g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.484 g
Contains less Saturated Fat -79.7%
Contains more Monounsaturated Fat +399.9%
Equal in Polyunsaturated fat - 0.484

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Meat Beef
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Cholesterol 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 Meat Beef Opinion
Protein 26.17g 25.93g Meat
Fats 3.51g 15.41g Beef
Calories 143kcal 250kcal Beef
Calcium 6mg 18mg Beef
Iron 1.15mg 2.6mg Beef
Magnesium 29mg 21mg Meat
Phosphorus 267mg 198mg Meat
Potassium 421mg 318mg Meat
Sodium 57mg 72mg Meat
Zinc 2.42mg 6.31mg Beef
Copper 0.111mg 0.085mg Meat
Manganese 0.013mg 0.012mg Meat
Selenium 38.2µg 21.5µg Meat
Vitamin A 0IU 9IU Beef
Vitamin A RAE 0µg 3µg Beef
Vitamin E 0.08mg 0.12mg Beef
Vitamin D 10IU 2IU Meat
Vitamin D 0.2µg 0µg Meat
Vitamin B1 0.95mg 0.046mg Meat
Vitamin B2 0.387mg 0.176mg Meat
Vitamin B3 7.432mg 5.378mg Meat
Vitamin B5 1.012mg 0.658mg Meat
Vitamin B6 0.739mg 0.382mg Meat
Folate 0µg 9µg Beef
Vitamin B12 0.57µg 2.64µg Beef
Vitamin K 0µg 1.2µg Beef
Tryptophan 0.275mg 0.094mg Meat
Threonine 1.175mg 0.72mg Meat
Isoleucine 1.288mg 0.822mg Meat
Leucine 2.229mg 1.45mg Meat
Lysine 2.427mg 1.54mg Meat
Methionine 0.721mg 0.478mg Meat
Phenylalanine 1.1mg 0.725mg Meat
Valine 1.367mg 0.914mg Meat
Histidine 1.13mg 0.604mg Meat
Cholesterol 73mg 88mg Meat
Trans Fat 0.033g 0.572g Meat
Saturated Fat 1.198g 5.895g Meat
Omega-3 - DHA 0g 0.001g Beef
Omega-3 - EPA 0g 0.003g Beef
Omega-3 - DPA 0g 0.016g Beef
Monounsaturated Fat 1.334g 6.668g Beef
Polyunsaturated fat 0.506g 0.484g Meat
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.013g 0g Meat
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.411g Meat
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0g 0.012g Beef
Omega-3 - ALA 0.013g 0.044g Beef

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Meat Beef
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet Equal
Low Calories 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
65%
Meat
52%
Beef
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
54%
Meat
56%
Beef

Comparison summary

Which food contains less Sodium?
Meat
Meat contains less Sodium (difference - 15mg)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Meat
Meat is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 15mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Meat
Meat is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 4.697g)
Which food is cheaper?
Meat
Meat is cheaper (difference - $1.5)
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

The source of all the nutrient values on the page (excluding the main article the sources for which are presented separately if present) is the USDA's FoodCentral. The exact links to the foods presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Meat - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168250/nutrients
  2. Beef - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174032/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.