Roast beef vs. Pastrami — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Calories

Pastrami has slightly higher calories in comparison to roast beef. Pastrami has 147 calories, and roast beef has 115 calories. 

Carbs

Their carbohydrate content is negligible. 

Protein

Pastrami has a higher protein content in comparison to roast beef. Pastrami contains 22g of protein, and roast beef contains 18.6g of protein. 

Fats

Both of them are, on average leaner cuts. Pastrami contains slightly higher amounts of fats compared to roast beef. However, both contain low amounts of fat. Pastrami contains 5.8g of fat. In comparison, roast beef contains 3.7g of fat. 

Although it is important to mention that since roast beef can be prepared from different cuts of beef, we can have leaner or slightly higher fat cuts.

Minerals

Pastrami is richer in selenium, choline, zinc, and iron. Pastrami is also higher in sodium. In comparison, roast beef is richer in potassium and phosphorus. 

Pastrami and roast beef are high in sodium. The amount of sodium present in 100g of each is very high and must be considered.

In the diagram below, we can visualize their difference in mineral distributions. 

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.

Roast beef

4

Pastrami

4

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+17.6%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+208.1%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+38.3%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-20.9%

Contains more CalciumCalcium	+100%
Contains more ZincZinc	+55.6%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+80%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+20.4%

~equal in Iron ~2.22mg

~equal in Copper ~0.091mg

Vitamins

Roast beef is richer in all vitamins compared to pastrami. Roast beef is richer in vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12.

Noting that pastrami also contains high amounts of most of these vitamins, however, comparatively, roast beef is richer. 

In the diagram below, we can visualize their difference in vitamin distributions. 

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.

Roast beef

6

Pastrami

6

Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+308.3%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+32.3%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+31%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+113.6%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+108.1%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+128.6%

Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+281.8%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+20.9%
Contains more FolateFolate	+20%
Contains more CholineCholine	+85.9%

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~1.87µg

Anemia

Section reviewed by gastroenterologist Arpi Gasparyan

Considering that both of these are red meat, they are packed with vitamin B12 and iron which decrease overall risks of vitamin B12 deficiency (megaloblastic) anemia and iron deficiency anemia. (1) (2)

Cancer

Red meat is considered a carcinogenic compound, and in addition to that, pastrami specifically contains preservatives such as nitrites and nitrates to increase their shelf lives. Roast beef can also contain preservatives since they are both deli cuts. 
Nitrogen compounds that are used as food preservatives increase the risks of breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. 
In addition, red meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and renal cancer. (3)(4)(5)(6)

Cardiovascular health

One of the main risks of increasing risks of mortality from cardiovascular diseases is hypertension. Long-term consumption of sodium in high amounts increases the risk of developing hypertension. In this case, pastrami and roast beef are high in sodium. In specific, the pastrami is even higher in sodium (7). To lower the risk of high blood pressure, you should consider consuming foods low in sodium.