The hamburger is one of the most consumed foods in the United States. It is a staple in the American diet. Traditionally the hamburger has been made from ground beef. Today people are thinking healthier and are looking for alternatives. Turkey burgers have become popular to the health conscious people. People believe the turkey burger to be lower in fat and calories. This makes the turkey burger the healthier choice for them. However ground beef is lower in sodium and cholesterol. Both ground turkey and ground beef can be healthy choices, especially when you buy lean meat.

There are 4 main comparisons of ground turkey and ground beef:

1. PROTEIN, CALORIES, AND FAT:
According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one 3.5oz serving of 85 percent lean turkey contains 180 calories. Compare the same amount of 85 percent lean ground beef, we would then be looking at 215 calories. The beef is also lower in protein than the turkey. Beef only offers 16.9g protein. Turkey offers 18.9g protein. Ground Turkey has 12.5 g fat compared to the ground beef at 15g. Even though turkey is lower in fat grams it still contains more cholesterol than ground beef. We need to also keep in mind that some turkey has ground up skin in the meat. This would raise the fat content.

2.VITAMINS:
Both ground turkey and beef are good sources of B-complex vitamins. Ground beef has twice as much B-12 as ground turkey. This makes your hamburger a good source of B-12. Ground beef is also a better source of niacin. We need niacin to produce energy in the cells of our body. Both meats are good sources of vitamin B-6.

3. MINERALS:
Ground beef contains twice as much zinc which is essential for proper immune function, for forming enzymes, and insulin as ground turkey. Ground beef is considerable higher in iron and potassium than ground turkey. Potassium is needed for healthy heart function. Sounds strange that ground beef has the mineral needed for heart function when it is claimed to damage the heart.

4. AMINO ACIDS:
Both turkey and beef are complete proteins offering all eight essential amino acids. Lysine, which is vital for collagen formation and calcium absorption, is found to be equal in ground beef and ground turkey. Turkey does have the edge on beef when it comes to providing tryptophan which is essential for the production of niacin, serotonin, and for maintaining stable mood.

Please follow the link below to get more facts about the study and comparisons of ground turkey and ground beef.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/359088-the-nutrition-information-of-turkey-burgers-compared-to-hamburgers/#ixzz23rVCTfVh