471 0 0 0 16 9. Ground turkey and ground turkey beef both have their benefits but is one healthier than the other? Here a dietitian breaks down the nutrition profile of both to help you decide.

Hailed as the better-for-you pick for decades, ground turkey has become the default healthy stand-in for ground beef. Generally speaking, ground turkey is leaner than standard ground beef, a nutritional advantage, especially when it comes to heart health. Still, this protein choice can leave one to wonder how to improve the flavor and texture of this poultry meat. Is Ground Turkey Healthier than Ground Beef? Getting to the answer is not as straightforward as you might think. We need to level the playing field and compare ground turkey and ground beef with similar lean meat-to-fat ratios.

You’ve seen a variety of ground beef and ground turkey options in your grocer’s meat department. Depending on the cut of beef used, ground beef contains between 25 and 30 percent fat, or as little as 7 percent fat, when made from leaner cuts, like sirloin. Most ground turkey is made from a combination of light and dark meat, coming in around 7 percent fat. Very lean ground turkey is made from turkey breast and can contain as little as 1 percent fat.