Ground Turkey vs. Ground Beef: Who's the Boss?

My dad after finishing the Warrior Dash. He's pretty awesome.

My dad is an all-American man’s man, lover of sports, hunting, fishing and all other things manly. When it comes to food, Dad is a carnivore and the man loves himself some red meat. Eating with my pops growing up was always a delicious time; he and I would get down on burgers, steaks, roasts, meatloaf… if it mooed, we ate it!

(Photo from utahpeoplespost.com)

 But Dad is also a Type I Diabetic and in the last few years he’s had to take a more strict course with his diet. This has left my step-mother searching for recipes that are both healthy and satisfying since we all know Dad is not about to cut flavor or substance anytime soon. Lately she’s been substituting ground turkey instead of ground beef in quite a few of her meals since word on the street is that ground turkey is a healthier alternative. So when they invited me over for “turkey loaf” my initial thought was, “Well this is going to be bland.” But the surprising thing was: it wasn’t! The turkey meatloaf was moist, flavorful and satisfying just like the ground beef meatloaf my dad and I love so much. At first, I was overjoyed; a burger substitute that was guilt-free and packed with flavor! It was too good to be true!

My ground turkey meatloaf. Stay tuned - I will post this recipe soon!

I started to incorporate ground turkey in the meals my husband and I enjoy; enchiladas, lasagna, meatloaf and even burgers on the grill. The more we ate ground turkey the more I thought, “I can’t believe it tastes this good and is so much better for you!” But then the thought hit me: what if it wasn’t?

So I did some digging. (By digging I mean, I actually read the labels on a package of lean ground beef and lean ground turkey and compared the two. For all my mass amounts of wisdom, label reading is a practice that still needs improvement.)

Lean ground turkey from ALDI

'

Lean ground sirloin from ALDI

What I found was that the same serving size of lean ground turkey compared to lean ground sirloin was not much different as far as fat and calories goes. In a 4 ounce serving of ground sirloin (90% lean/10% fat) there were 200 calories, 11 grams of fat and 22 grams of protein. In a 4 ounce serving of lean ground turkey there were 160 calories, 8 grams of fat and 22 grams of protein. This difference, well… doesn’t really make much of a difference when you consider that the recommended daily caloric and fat intake for an average healthy woman is about 2100 calories and about 70 grams of fat. So that itty-bitty contrast isn’t going to make-or-break you. 

(Photo from UPHS Nutrition Care Guide)

And thus, the mystery of why ground turkey tastes just as good is solved – because it’s just as “bad” for you as ground beef! But, after reviewing recommended caloric and fat intake amounts, I have resolved that ground beef, as long as it’s lean, is really not that bad for you, anyway. And alas, I’ve also determined that ground turkey just isn’t the wonder-meat I once thought it was.

(Photo from teenierussel.com)

So, at the end of the day (or blog post, rather), what I’ve taken away from this is really two key things:

 1) Lean ground beef and lean ground turkey are pretty much interchangeable. That information is disappointing to me because I thought I was eating healthier. But I’m also pretty stoked because I like both ground turkey and ground beef and now I can eat whichever I choose and not feel guilty!

2) I need to pay closer attention to what the labels on food say and NOT just what I hear other people say about food. Whether it’s celebrity gossip or the latest diet craze, we all know that word of mouth is not the most accurate form of receiving information.

Moral o' the story: the next time the world around you buzzes over food business, check into the facts for yourself. Is the person you just talked to a scientist? No? Then read the labels, my friend, that is literally what they’re there for.

Busted any food myths or other dietary misconceptions lately?

I would love to hear about it!

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Blair Clark is a wife, teacher, dog-mother, mentor, wanna-be-chef, recipe collector, crafter, painter, novice photographer, thrifter, writer, marriage ministry leader, Sunday school teacher and blogger. In short, she's a busy girl! Blair lives and blogs from the suburbs of Detroit with her handsome hubby and perfect Chocolate lab.

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