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Lamb vs. Beef — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are lamb and beef different?

  • Lamb is higher in zinc and vitamin B3; however, beef is richer in vitamin B12, vitamin B6, iron, vitamin B2, and phosphorus.
  • Daily need coverage for vitamin B12 for beef is 69% higher.
  • Lamb contains 3 times more saturated fat than beef. While lamb contains 8.83g of saturated fat, beef contains only 2.595g.

Lamb, domestic, composite of trimmed retail cuts, separable lean, and fat, trimmed to 1/4" fat, choice, cooked and Beef, loin, tenderloin roast, separable lean only, boneless, trimmed to 0" fat, select, cooked, roasted are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

Lamb 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.
Lamb
Lamb
5
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 16% 5.1% 27% 71% 40% 122% 81% 9.4% 2.9% 144%
Beef
Beef
4
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 10% 3.9% 31% 114% 32% 101% 111% 7% 1.2% 139%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +64.3%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +30.8%
Contains more CopperCopper +22.7%
Contains more ZincZinc +20.5%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +144.4%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +13.5%
Contains more IronIron +61.7%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +37.8%
Contains less SodiumSodium -25%
~equal in Selenium ~25.4µg

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.
Lamb
Lamb
5
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E 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 0% 1.5% 0% 2.8% 25% 58% 125% 40% 30% 319% 12% 14%
Beef
Beef
5
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E 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 0% 1.5% 0.67% 5% 19% 92% 108% 29% 154% 526% 4% 5.3%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +35.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +15.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +37.2%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +187.5%
Contains more FolateFolate +157.1%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +78.6%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +60%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +414.6%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +65.1%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0.1µg

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Lamb Beef DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 2.55µg 4.21µg 69%
Vitamin B6 0.13mg 0.669mg 41%
Saturated fat 8.83g 2.595g 28%
Fats 20.94g 6.54g 22%
Iron 1.88mg 3.04mg 15%
Monounsaturated fat 8.82g 2.734g 15%
Vitamin B2 0.25mg 0.4mg 12%
Phosphorus 188mg 259mg 10%
Zinc 4.46mg 3.7mg 7%
Polyunsaturated fat 1.51g 0.532g 7%
Calories 294kcal 169kcal 6%
Protein 24.52g 27.55g 6%
Vitamin B3 6.66mg 5.76mg 6%
Cholesterol 97mg 85mg 4%
Vitamin B5 0.66mg 0.481mg 4%
Vitamin K 4.6µg 1.6µg 3%
Folate 18µg 7µg 3%
Choline 93.7mg 75.6mg 3%
Magnesium 23mg 14mg 2%
Copper 0.119mg 0.097mg 2%
Selenium 26.4µg 25.4µg 2%
Vitamin B1 0.1mg 0.074mg 2%
Potassium 310mg 352mg 1%
Sodium 72mg 54mg 1%
Vitamin E 0.14mg 0.25mg 1%
Manganese 0.022mg 0.009mg 1%
Protein per 100 calories 8.3g 16g N/A
Calories per 10 g protein 120kcal 61kcal N/A
Weight per 100 calories 34g 59g N/A
Unsaturated / Saturated Fat ratio 1.2 1.3 N/A
Vitamin D* 2 IU 3 IU 0%
Vitamin D 0.1µg 0.1µg 0%
Calcium 17mg 13mg 0%
Vitamin A 0µg 2µg 0%
Trans fat 0.375g N/A
Tryptophan 0.287mg 0.359mg 0%
Threonine 1.05mg 1.534mg 0%
Isoleucine 1.183mg 1.52mg 0%
Leucine 1.908mg 2.833mg 0%
Lysine 2.166mg 3.178mg 0%
Methionine 0.629mg 0.871mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.998mg 1.299mg 0%
Valine 1.323mg 1.603mg 0%
Histidine 0.777mg 1.244mg 0%
Omega-3 - EPA 0g 0.002g N/A
Omega-3 - DHA 0g 0.002g N/A
Omega-3 - ALA 0.013g N/A
Omega-3 - DPA 0g 0.011g N/A
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid 0.017g N/A
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.002g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.349g N/A

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Lamb
Lamb
2
25% 21% 54%
Protein: 24.52 g
Fats: 20.94 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 53.72 g
Other: 0.82 g
Beef
Beef
2
28% 7% 66%
Protein: 27.55 g
Fats: 6.54 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 65.71 g
Other: 0.2 g
Contains more FatsFats +220.2%
Contains more OtherOther +310%
Contains more ProteinProtein +12.4%
Contains more WaterWater +22.3%
~equal in Carbs ~0g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Lamb
Lamb
2
46% 46% 8%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 8.83 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 8.82 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.51 g
Beef
Beef
1
44% 47% 9%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 2.595 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 2.734 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.532 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +222.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +183.8%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -70.6%

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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. Lamb - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172480/nutrients
  2. Beef - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174006/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.