When choosing what to eat, it may be difficult to sort out whether ground beef or ground turkey is the healthier choice. Although ground turkey may have the reputation of being a healthier option, both can have the same level of nutritional value, depending on a variety of factors, according to Kelsi Evans, health educator in Nutrition at McKinley Health Center.

Turkey is simply an alternative to beef, Evans said. The body can’t really tell the difference between the two, and there’s no significant difference as far as affecting the body.

“Just because it’s ground turkey doesn’t mean it’s significantly that much healthier,” she said. “It’s probably a minimal amount, nothing too significant. But it varies, depending on what the person has been using before.”

As a dietician, Evans said that she uses both ground turkey and ground beef, depending on what she is making. Although she said turkey may have an advantage of over beef because it has less saturated fat, she noted that “there are good and bad things about protein or any food.”

Micquel Hart, junior in LAS, said she believes that ground turkey is a healthier option over ground beef, and has eaten turkey products for the past eight years because her mom cooks them at home. At school, Hart said she looks for lean turkey meat and cooks with it once or twice a week, but only eats ground beef once a month.

“I think if it’s lean, it’s more healthier for us, so I have been eating turkey for while,” Hart said.

Whether it’s beef or turkey, Evans said that leaner is always better.

“Usually just the amount of fat that’s attached to the meat and the skin, and possibly the part of the animal itself, will be the main contributors of fat and calories,” Evans said. “So if those are removed, generally it’s going to be leaner and lower in calories.”

Evans said that when shopping, it is a good idea to look for products that are at least 90 percent lean, whether its beef or turkey. If it’s turkey, a customer can know he or she is getting the turkey’s breasts, which is the leanest part of the bird. The healthier option between ground beef and ground turkey also depends on the presence of skin left on the meat. When the skin is trimmed off of the turkey or the fat is trimmed from the beef it becomes more lean.

One may choose turkey over beef depending on price, while others may prefer the taste of one over the other. For Hart, eating turkey is a form of habit.

“I don’t know much about red meat versus turkey, I was just kind of forced to do it,” she said. “And now I just do it, and I like the way it tastes.”

Ariana can be reached at [email protected].