Ground Turkey v. Ground Beef?

abetterbrandi
abetterbrandi Posts: 131
in Food and Nutrition
So, I am curious and confused. When comparing the leanest available ground turkey and beef at my local grocery store I am seeing very little difference in calories, etc. I had been assuming lean ground turkey is better for you. Can someone please elaborate on if there is THAT much of a difference, if any at all to eating the turkey over the beef?

Thanks :)
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Replies

  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
    99/1 turkey is going to be leaner than anything you can find in beef, but 93/7 turkey=93/7 beef IMO. There's really no "better". I like 93/7 beef because I like the taste better, and it has more creatine (ignore that, probably won't matter to you).

    I like 99/1 turkey better than 96/4 beef though.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    The reason people say that ground turkey is healthier than ground beef is because ground turkey is naturally lean, where as ground beef can be fatty, or lean depending on which you buy. Any restaurant is going to use fatty ground beef because the fat makes it taste better. Calorie level is determined by macronutrient content of a food. Fat is 9 calories per gram, protein is 4 calories per gram, carbs are 4 calories per gram. Therefore, if you find ground beef and ground turkey with the same protein content and same fat content, they will have the same amount of calories.
  • abetterbrandi
    abetterbrandi Posts: 131
    Thanks for the responses. I am new to this, and trying to make good choices. I much prefer the taste of ground beef. As long as I am eating within my calorie goals and making lean recipes with the leanest ground beef available it shouldn't make much of a difference over the turkey then?
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Thanks for the responses. I am new to this, and trying to make good choices. I much prefer the taste of ground beef. As long as I am eating within my calorie goals and making lean recipes with the leanest ground beef available it shouldn't make much of a difference over the turkey then?

    No, shouldn't make any significant difference. Also realize that there's nothing wrong with fat. Your body needs fat, so don't fear it. Dietary fat will not make you fat, eating more calories than you burn everyday will make you fat.
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    It was probably at one point a budget thing (and might still be since I rarely buy ground turkey) - leaner meat for the same price per pound. Personally, I think both have their place in a freezer for the sake of variety in taste.
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  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    I do alot of ground turkey. I love it!
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
    Another thing to consider is that not all turkey is lean. There is 85/15 where most of the calories come from fat still.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Personally, I think ground turkey tastes like crap. For ground beef, I typically get 80/20.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    Ground turkey smells disgusting.... I use ground beef 85/15
  • newjourney2015
    newjourney2015 Posts: 216 Member
    I usually purchase 80/20 ground beef but after I brown (if browning it for like taco meat, crumbled) I drain it in a colander and then rinse it and put it back in the pan to seer the water off and continue browning for a minute or so. That does remove SOME additional fat. I don't typically fear fat myself but I have to stay within my macros so it at least makes me feel like I'm rinsing some additional fat away and the beef tastes so much better in my opinion!
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,262 Member
    Red meat kills where white meat will make you lean and healthy. :bigsmile: I consume mostly lamb or beef and grind it myself. Personally I find ground turkey a waste of time as far as taste in concerned.
  • Time2bFit12
    Time2bFit12 Posts: 16 Member
    You can get Ground Turkey leaner at 99/1-- but I prefer the taste of Ground Beef better and opt for 97/3.
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
    Another thing to consider is that not all turkey is lean. There is 85/15 where most of the calories come from fat still.

    YES read the label or ask your butcher. Some of the less expensive ground turkey options are actually ground up turkey meat + turkey SKIN, which of course adds a lot of the poultry fat back in. You can buy leaner ground turkey which in the US is usually labelled "ground turkey BREAST," but look for a fat content label on the package.

    But all this only if you actually LIKE ground turkey. :smile: I like it for taco meat for example, but for a turkey burger can only stand it if it's the higher-fat content meat, and might as well go with beef.
  • Seefylol
    Seefylol Posts: 197
    Ground beef tastes soooo much better!
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
    I used to be a big fan of ground beef. I would scoff at my wife when she decided to cook ground turkey instead. For a while, we cooked both prettty regularly. After doing both for a while, I've found that I now prefer ground turkey over ground beef. So be careful beef fans... you just might converted too if you don't watch out!
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    I used to be a big fan of ground beef. I would scoff at my wife when she decided to cook ground turkey instead. For a while, we cooked both prettty regularly. After doing both for a while, I've found that I now prefer ground turkey over ground beef. So be careful beef fans... you just might converted too if you don't watch out!

    Here, too. For the longest time we had both 90/10 ground beef and 93/7 ground turkey in our freezer. However, recently I used up the last of our ground beef in a casserole and was asked by my beef-lovin' husband not to buy any more! It wasn't old or freezer burned or anything either, he just said it was too fatty tasting and he prefers ground turkey now. Not to mention it's MUCH cheaper (we get 93/7 ground turkey for $2.75/lb - 90/10 ground beef is over $4 at the warehouse club store)
  • Dechant63
    Dechant63 Posts: 59
    I only buy the leanest ground turkey available. Can't remember the last time I bought ground beef.
  • jdm_taco
    jdm_taco Posts: 999 Member
    Beef for me
  • la8ydi
    la8ydi Posts: 294 Member
    I prefer to use ground turkey IN things...but if I'm having a burger, it's gotta be beef. ;-)
  • abetterbrandi
    abetterbrandi Posts: 131
    Thanks for the feedback! I cooked with ground turkey and made a whole wheat pasta. It was honestly really gross. I've cooked with it a few times before and I've always thought it smelled and tasted really off. I think I'm going to opt for the lean ground beef. I dont mind paying a little more if needed!
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    The main issue here is flavor. Ground beef tastes good; ground turkey tastes awful. No question, go for the beef every time.
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  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
    It depends on how you handle the turkey. If you are expecting beef flavor and not using a lot of seasoning, yeah you might not like the ground turkey. I LOVE beef, but I also make a mean turkey burger by adding in bbq sauce and liberal amounts of seasoned salt, fresh pepper, and garlic powder.

    I feel compelled to add in a "OMNOMNOM" at the thought, but apparently SOME people find that obnoxious.... ; )

    eh screw it

    nom-thor.gif
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    The reason people say that ground turkey is healthier than ground beef is because ground turkey is naturally lean, where as ground beef can be fatty, or lean depending on which you buy.
    (snip)

    Sorry, this is just not true... Some ground turkey has plenty of fat in it if they use the dark meat and it is ground with the skin and body fat included. Don't be fooled into thinking that just because you're getting ground turkey that it will be leaner than ground beef. Check your nutrition info labels!

    It's as bad of a trick as most diet foods out there. Just because something says it's low fat/fat free, low carb, gluten free, "lite", etc...doesn't mean it's going to help you lose weight or that it's even necessarily healthier for you. Lots of trendy/diet foods contain added sugar or sodium to make them taste better. Sure the fat's lower but what's been added on the other side so it doesn't taste like cardboard? Don't trust the bright colors and flashy words on the front of the package, flip it over and check that nutrition label.

    Personally, I only get ground beef. We tried ground turkey a few times but it always tasted off to us too. Same goes for fat free cheese - what the heck is that stuff made out of anyway? It looks like shiny plastic when it melts! No thanks...
  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,046 Member
    BEEF!!!!! Love the taste!
  • abetterbrandi
    abetterbrandi Posts: 131
    Lol, I am so with you on the fat free shiny fake cheese Minnie. Its nasty. I do however like reduced fat cheeses made with 2% milk. They taste/look "real" but are about half the calories.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I almost always use extra lean ground beef. If you are concerned about the fat, once you have browned the beef put it in a strainer and rinse it with water to get rid of the extra grease. I have seen that suggested in many places on the internet.
  • abetterbrandi
    abetterbrandi Posts: 131
    Ya, I saw it as a suggestion on here too Blue and I will definitely be trying that.
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