Ground Beef: Calories, Nutrition & Healthier Swaps

Ground beef brings protein, iron and zinc, but fat content varies a lot — check the lean-to-fat ratio on the pack.

Ground Beef nutrition facts per 100 g and per serving

Values per 100 g as eaten, averaged from food composition tables (USDA FoodData Central and others) and rounded — a specific brand or recipe will differ a little.

Ground Beef: nutrition highlights

A serving (serving, 100 g) provides 26 g of protein — about 46% of the 56 g daily reference for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult (0.8 g per kg).

On the open Nutri-Score algorithm, ground beef gets a C: the middle of the scale — fine with an eye on portions. The score weighs calories, sugar, saturated fat and salt against protein, fiber and the share of fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts.

What to watch

• High in saturated fat: 5.9 g per 100 g, against a daily reference of about 20 g.

How much movement is one serving?

One serving (serving, 100 g) is 245 kcal — roughly 80 min of easy walking or 31 min of cycling for a 70 kg (154 lb) person. In the diary, minutes are worked out for your weight and the activities you actually do.

Healthier swaps for Ground Beef

Swaps are picked the same way the app does it: from the same kind of food, with a serving matched to the same calories (±25%), and only when the swap is clearly better — not “salad instead of pizza”.

• Ground chicken, raw — 170 g, 243 kcal: −2 g saturated fat.
• Ground Turkey — 130 g, 241 kcal: −2.7 g saturated fat.
• Ground chicken, browned — 140 g, 252 kcal: −1.7 g saturated fat.
• Chicken breast, raw — 220 g, 249 kcal: −4.8 g saturated fat, +26 g protein.