Ground beef vs ground turkey

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arewethereyet
arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am a bit confused as to why I would use ground turkey instead of ground beef.

I checked the labels and both have the same amount of fat. Same thing with the italian sausage.

Does anyone know the reason ground turkey is better for you than ground beef?

Any help would be appreciated!

Replies

  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    I am a bit confused as to why I would use ground turkey instead of ground beef.

    I checked the labels and both have the same amount of fat. Same thing with the italian sausage.

    Does anyone know the reason ground turkey is better for you than ground beef?

    Any help would be appreciated!
  • carrotstick
    carrotstick Posts: 69
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    I found this on: www.cookinglight.com

    Ground Beef vs. Ground Turkey: For backyard barbecue, your first instinct may be to choose ground turkey rather than ground round. But unless it's made only from breast meat, ground turkey isn't the low-fat option you might think it is. In fact, the calorie and fat amounts in ground round and regular ground turkey are surprisingly close, with the beef at 218 calories and 13 fat grams and the turkey at 200 calories and 11 fat grams. To save calories, go for ground turkey breast, which knocks calories down to 161 and slashes the fat almost in half.

    Ground Round (3 ounces, pan-browned)
    218 calories
    13 grams fat
    77 milligrams cholesterol

    Ground Turkey Breast (3 ounces, roasted, boneless)
    161 calories
    6 grams fat
    63 milligrams cholesterol



    I think the main difference is in the cholesterol and the slightly better results in terms of calories and grams of fat!
  • elliott062907
    elliott062907 Posts: 1,508 Member
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    just for me, it is rare I eat red meat, can't digest it to well, but I do enjoy ground turkey, Louis Rich make ground turkey breast and it is so much better for you, plus there is no red dye in it, some beef has dye, not all.....

    I also love turkey kalbalsa, like italian sausage, it is the bomb in stir fry.

    I have struggled for 10 years with my weight and if the little changes add up, so be it......

    and especially with the treatments I am on, it helps to eat lighter.


    I have even switched to soy yogurts!!!!!
  • jbeasinger
    jbeasinger Posts: 57 Member
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    Ground turkey usually includes the dark meat where you get more fat. I myself use 96% extra lean ground beef, tastes better. For 4 oz, has 150cal and 4.5g fat. Hope this helped!:smile:
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
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    Ground turkey usually includes the dark meat where you get more fat. I myself use 96% extra lean ground beef, tastes better. For 4 oz, has 150cal and 4.5g fat. Hope this helped!:smile:

    I have to agree, I find lean ground turkey to be a little bland and tasteless, I prefer to get the extra lean beef. It doesn't have any more calories and I think it tastes better. If I eat something and don't find it satisfying (in terms of taste) then my body thinks I'm still hungry.
  • wildkitty505
    wildkitty505 Posts: 222 Member
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    I buy the 97% lean ground turkey. Its a much lighter pink color than ground turkey that includes dark meat which has more fat in it. I personally like the ground turkey better than the lean ground beef. It is lower in cholesterol and , when you make sure to get the lean stuff, it has fewer calories and fat.

    Tastes just as good as lean beef to me but then again with enough seasoning even Boca burgers are good in my opinion!
  • runawaybride
    runawaybride Posts: 400 Member
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    I usually just go with the lean ground beef and only use half. Works good for Spaghetti and casseroles. If eating tacos use a small amount and fill with tons of the veggies or if you are making burgers then pick the smaller one and top with extra lettuce, tomato and onion.
  • aaubrey
    aaubrey Posts: 168 Member
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    I go with the 99% turkey breast only. It is a little bland and rubbery, but I use it in things like spaghetti
  • kjllose
    kjllose Posts: 948 Member
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    I'm a convert to ground turkey over ground beef because of the calorie and fat difference. I make a mean taco salad that has mucho taste and fills you up and has alot less calories than the beef one.

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