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Whey vs. Ground beef — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are whey and ground beef different?

  • Ground beef has more vitamin B12, zinc, selenium, iron, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, phosphorus, and choline than whey.
  • Daily need coverage for vitamin B12 for ground beef is 92% higher.
  • Whey has less saturated fat.
  • Ground beef has a lower glycemic index (0) than whey (43).

Whey, sweet, fluid and Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, loaf, cooked, baked are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

Whey vs Ground 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.
Whey
2
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 5.7% 14% 14% 2.3% 1.3% 3.5% 20% 7% 0.13% 10%
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 CalciumCalcium +42.4%
Contains less SodiumSodium -26%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +112.5%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +49.7%
Contains more IronIron +3683.3%
Contains more CopperCopper +1875%
Contains more ZincZinc +4392.3%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +260.9%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +800%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +905.3%

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.
Whey
1
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 0.33% 1% 0% 0% 9% 36% 1.4% 23% 7.2% 35% 0% 0.75% 8.7%
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 EVitamin E +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +41.7%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +5340.5%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +33.7%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +903.2%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +789.3%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +600%
Contains more CholineCholine +357.5%
~equal in Vitamin A ~3µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin B2 ~0.171mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Whey
2
5% 93%
Protein: 0.85 g
Fats: 0.36 g
Carbs: 5.14 g
Water: 93.12 g
Other: 0.53 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 +59.5%
Contains more ProteinProtein +2708.2%
Contains more FatsFats +4169.4%
Contains more OtherOther +350.9%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Whey
1
67% 29% 3%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.23 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.1 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.011 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 -96.2%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +7222%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +3609.1%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Whey Ground beef DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 0.28µg 2.49µg 92%
Zinc 0.13mg 5.84mg 52%
Protein 0.85g 23.87g 46%
Selenium 1.9µg 19.1µg 31%
Cholesterol 2mg 88mg 29%
Iron 0.06mg 2.27mg 28%
Saturated fat 0.23g 6.073g 27%
Vitamin B3 0.074mg 4.026mg 25%
Fats 0.36g 15.37g 23%
Vitamin B6 0.031mg 0.311mg 22%
Monounsaturated fat 0.1g 7.322g 18%
Phosphorus 46mg 166mg 17%
Calories 27kcal 241kcal 11%
Choline 16mg 73.2mg 10%
Copper 0.004mg 0.079mg 8%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.011g 0.408g 3%
Vitamin B5 0.383mg 0.512mg 3%
Magnesium 8mg 17mg 2%
Potassium 161mg 241mg 2%
Carbs 5.14g 0g 2%
Folate 1µg 7µg 2%
Vitamin K 0µg 2.9µg 2%
Vitamin B2 0.158mg 0.171mg 1%
Vitamin B1 0.036mg 0.051mg 1%
Sodium 54mg 73mg 1%
Vitamin E 0mg 0.12mg 1%
Calcium 47mg 33mg 1%
Vitamin C 0.1mg 0mg 0%
Net carbs 5.14g 0g N/A
Vitamin D 2IU 0%
Sugar 5.14g 0g N/A
Vitamin A 3µg 3µg 0%
Manganese 0.001mg 0.009mg 0%
Trans fat 1.173g N/A
Tryptophan 0.013mg 0.121mg 0%
Threonine 0.054mg 0.923mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.047mg 1.055mg 0%
Leucine 0.078mg 1.861mg 0%
Lysine 0.068mg 1.976mg 0%
Methionine 0.016mg 0.614mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.027mg 0.931mg 0%
Valine 0.046mg 1.172mg 0%
Histidine 0.016mg 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
Whey 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
9%
Whey
46%
Ground beef
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
8%
Whey
50%
Ground beef

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Whey
Whey is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 86mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Whey
Whey contains less Sodium (difference - 19mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Whey
Whey is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 5.843g)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Ground beef
Ground beef is lower in Sugar (difference - 5.14g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Ground beef
Ground beef is lower in glycemic index (difference - 43)
Which food is cheaper?
Ground beef
Ground beef is cheaper (difference - $1.6)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Ground beef
Ground beef is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Ground beef
Ground beef is relatively richer in vitamins

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. Whey - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171282/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.