Why Turkey?

ShaniceOrrMartin
ShaniceOrrMartin Posts: 24 Member
edited November 29 in Food and Nutrition
Just wondering why people tend to go for turkey mince over beef mince, a few have said that it has less fat but, at least where I live, turkey has much more fat than beef, not that I am against healthy fat, why do others use it?
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Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    I don't like ground turkey. Which people do you mean?
  • ShaniceOrrMartin
    ShaniceOrrMartin Posts: 24 Member
    Just generally people seem to prefer turkey for weight loss over beef.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    That 95% fat free beef mince has got to be really expensive and really flavorless.

    Same with the low-fat turkey mince. Expensive, dry and flavorless.

    Compare calories and cost in 80/20 beef to full fat turkey. That's a better comparison, taste wise and fat wise.

  • ShaniceOrrMartin
    ShaniceOrrMartin Posts: 24 Member
    Its only beef mince I've ever eaten haha I don't find its ever been dry and its only $1 more than the standard mince where I live so its really not a big deal, any other type is just really greasy to me.
    If that is they only reason why people choose one over the other then I guess theres no reason for me to switch. :smile:
  • ShaniceOrrMartin
    ShaniceOrrMartin Posts: 24 Member
    This is the lowest grade of beef I can get where I live, I was just comparing to what I would normally eat.
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  • DaintyWhisper
    DaintyWhisper Posts: 221 Member
    The one thing I notice is that the beef states that it is 95% lean whereas the turkey doesn't specify. I'm betting that the turkey is 85% lean and 15% fat at most. That would give it more calories and more fat than the leaner ground beef. It just depends on which leanness you're comparing. I think it might just be a misconception that ground turkey is "less fatty" and "healthier." Some people go by those common misconceptions and don't really ask why or bother looking at the nutrition label. Some people want to avoid red meat and eat ground turkey instead. I attached pics so you could compare the information based on the USDA website. You can also search yourself: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    It all depends on your goals. If you are strictly counting calories for weight loss eat what you like. If you have a medical reason to restrict foods, that may change your goals. (example: American Heart Assiciciation recommends limits in red meat)
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    Completely depends on how lean you're talking about. 93% lean ground turkey and 93% lean ground beef are both about 170 calories for 4 oz. But if you're comparing it to 80-85% ground beef, there will be a calorie/fat savings.
  • ShaniceOrrMartin
    ShaniceOrrMartin Posts: 24 Member
    edited October 2018
    The one thing I notice is that the beef states that it is 95% lean whereas the turkey doesn't specify. I'm betting that the turkey is 85% lean and 15% fat at most. That would give it more calories and more fat than the leaner ground beef. It just depends on which leanness you're comparing. I think it might just be a misconception that ground turkey is "less fatty" and "healthier." Some people go by those common misconceptions and don't really ask why or bother looking at the nutrition label. Some people want to avoid red meat and eat ground turkey instead. I attached pics so you could compare the information based on the USDA website. You can also search yourself: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

    Excellent reply. By the looks of it I'm better of sticking to my 5 star beef mince as its the only red meat I eat besides the occasional kangaroo steak, no one ever talks about all the options etc when they are preaching the Turkey mince, I thought I was missing something. All down to preference in the end I suppose.
    Thanks!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    In my area ground turkey is usually cheaper than the lower fat ground beef. The fattiest ground beef is cheaper than the ground turkey. Ground turkey can also have different fat content. I might buy ground turkey for chili, sloppy joes or tacos and get beef for burgers.
    I don't buy as much beef generally as I do other things because I think cattle are worse for the environment.
    I guess my reasons don't have much to do with fat content.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited October 2018
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    In my area ground turkey is usually cheaper than the lower fat ground beef. The fattiest ground beef is cheaper than the ground turkey. Ground turkey can also have different fat content. I might buy ground turkey for chili, sloppy joes or tacos and get beef for burgers.

    Same here. Generally speaking, the lean ground turkey is going to be cheaper than the equivalent ground beef, unless I find it on sale, so it just comes down to what I plan on using it for. If it's something like chili where the taste/texture is going to be lost in the dish anyway, I just use turkey, but I will use a higher fat ground beef for a burger.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    I like turkey so if I catch it on sale, I will buy it ground. I mix ground turkey and 85/15 ground beef if I am making a big batch of chili because it's less greasy.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    edited October 2018
    The ground turkey i buy has way less calories than the leanest ground beef I buy. Thats why i use it in spaghetti or tacos.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It's much, much cheaper. Like $2-3 a lb instead of $6-7 for the 93% stuff (or 95% at Wegmans if you buy 3 lbs). You can also find 99% fat free ground turkey (it's way too dry for me, but heck), and that's maybe $4 a lb too.

    Then it depends on the recipe, but for a lot of things, I like turkey better anyway... I'm trying to eat more beef because of my anemia though.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    The one thing I notice is that the beef states that it is 95% lean whereas the turkey doesn't specify. I'm betting that the turkey is 85% lean and 15% fat at most. That would give it more calories and more fat than the leaner ground beef. It just depends on which leanness you're comparing. I think it might just be a misconception that ground turkey is "less fatty" and "healthier." Some people go by those common misconceptions and don't really ask why or bother looking at the nutrition label. Some people want to avoid red meat and eat ground turkey instead. I attached pics so you could compare the information based on the USDA website. You can also search yourself: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

    Excellent reply. By the looks of it I'm better of sticking to my 5 star beef mince as its the only red meat I eat besides the occasional kangaroo steak, no one ever talks about all the options etc when they are preaching the Turkey mince, I thought I was missing something. All down to preference in the end I suppose.
    Thanks!

    Of the 3 I'd prefer the kangaroo. A bit of skippy in your diet is a treat and would be lower in fat than both turkey and beef.
  • Lifestyle0
    Lifestyle0 Posts: 17 Member
    Where I shop, in the UK, the lowest fat beef mince is 5-7% fat and turkey is 2%. Theres a reasonable cal difference so I get turkey. Same with sausages - turkey sausages actually have a nicer texture and are only about 80 cals for a normal sized sausage
  • DoubleUbea
    DoubleUbea Posts: 1,115 Member
    edited October 2018
    jupm6h9lc6a9.jpg

    I knew I should have taken one of those turkeys that were in the backyard this morning.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Lifestyle0 wrote: »
    Where I shop, in the UK, the lowest fat beef mince is 5-7% fat and turkey is 2%. Theres a reasonable cal difference so I get turkey. Same with sausages - turkey sausages actually have a nicer texture and are only about 80 cals for a normal sized sausage

    I like chicken and turkey sausage better, but it's more expensive than pork for sure.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Lifestyle0 wrote: »
    Where I shop, in the UK, the lowest fat beef mince is 5-7% fat and turkey is 2%. Theres a reasonable cal difference so I get turkey. Same with sausages - turkey sausages actually have a nicer texture and are only about 80 cals for a normal sized sausage

    I like chicken and turkey sausage better, but it's more expensive than pork for sure.

    I used to get turkey hot dogs sometimes but switched to the higher end chicken sausages. I don't eat them often enough for the price difference (which is substantial) to have much impact. Some of those are really good.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    I was curious about this, myself. These are the answers I was given:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1263637/beef-vs-turkey/p1
  • bemyyfriend0918
    bemyyfriend0918 Posts: 241 Member
    edited October 2018
    I actually hate ground turkey. It's healthier than most typical ground beef you'd find in my area though. For the most part, the beef that is 70/30 or 80/20 is far cheaper, usually costing around 2-3$ a pound. The ground turkey is a healthier option and costs around 4$ a pound. For me, it's not worth it though. I buy lean ground beef (93/7) when I can find it for a decent price, otherwise just enjoy the calories from a good 80/20 burger and portion it out. I think ground turkey tastes like cardboard. I may just not be good at cooking it though :D

    Same thing with turkey sausage vs beef sausage. I can't do it haha
  • ShaniceOrrMartin
    ShaniceOrrMartin Posts: 24 Member
    Lillymoo01 wrote: »
    The one thing I notice is that the beef states that it is 95% lean whereas the turkey doesn't specify. I'm betting that the turkey is 85% lean and 15% fat at most. That would give it more calories and more fat than the leaner ground beef. It just depends on which leanness you're comparing. I think it might just be a misconception that ground turkey is "less fatty" and "healthier." Some people go by those common misconceptions and don't really ask why or bother looking at the nutrition label. Some people want to avoid red meat and eat ground turkey instead. I attached pics so you could compare the information based on the USDA website. You can also search yourself: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

    Excellent reply. By the looks of it I'm better of sticking to my 5 star beef mince as its the only red meat I eat besides the occasional kangaroo steak, no one ever talks about all the options etc when they are preaching the Turkey mince, I thought I was missing something. All down to preference in the end I suppose.
    Thanks!

    Of the 3 I'd prefer the kangaroo. A bit of skippy in your diet is a treat and would be lower in fat than both turkey and beef.

    I generally do however kangaroo mince can get dry very easily because of how low in fat it is, so I don't tend to buy the kangaroo mince as much unless I don't plan on reheating it for lunches etc.
    Kanagroo Meatballs though are the actual best.
  • ShaniceOrrMartin
    ShaniceOrrMartin Posts: 24 Member
    I actually hate ground turkey. It's healthier than most typical ground beef you'd find in my area though. For the most part, the beef that is 70/30 or 80/20 is far cheaper, usually costing around 2-3$ a pound. The ground turkey is a healthier option and costs around 4$ a pound. For me, it's not worth it though. I buy lean ground beef (93/7) when I can find it for a decent price, otherwise just enjoy the calories from a good 80/20 burger and portion it out. I think ground turkey tastes like cardboard. I may just not be good at cooking it though :D

    Same thing with turkey sausage vs beef sausage. I can't do it haha

    I only like turkey meatballs, not fan of the taste myself with anything else.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I assumed because it was leaner but never actually paid any attention because I'm not a fan of turkey. I also see a lot of people get turkey bacon and sausage when they are trying to lose weight. No comprendo. I like my pork.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    I assumed because it was leaner but never actually paid any attention because I'm not a fan of turkey. I also see a lot of people get turkey bacon and sausage when they are trying to lose weight. No comprendo. I like my pork.

    Turkey bacon is a crime against humanity.

    And pigs.

    And turkeys. :tongue:
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    I assumed because it was leaner but never actually paid any attention because I'm not a fan of turkey. I also see a lot of people get turkey bacon and sausage when they are trying to lose weight. No comprendo. I like my pork.

    Turkey bacon is a crime against humanity.

    And pigs.

    And turkeys. :tongue:

    @pinuplove hahaha

    I saw duck bacon today at my local grocery store. I did think about it for a hot second. Then I was like naaaaaaaah.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Just wondering why people tend to go for turkey mince over beef mince, a few have said that it has less fat but, at least where I live, turkey has much more fat than beef, not that I am against healthy fat, why do others use it?

    Because for one, most people don't typically have much nutritional knowledge and they think it's leaner and healthier...there's nothing inherently unhealthy about a reasonable amount of dietary fat...in fact, it is essential. And if people compared apples to apples in terms of fat content, they would see that there is very little nutritional difference...93% ground beef is going to be pretty much the same as 93% ground turkey, etc.

    I've never done the whole turkey thing because I burned out on it when I was a kid...one of my dad's best friends was a turkey farmer and we had turkey everything all of the time. I only eat turkey at Thanksgiving which I enjoy..but turkey burgers, turkey dogs, turkey bacon, etc...never.
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