Beef vs. Canned Tuna
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Beef and Canned Tuna
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
beef
versus
canned tuna
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in beef and canned tuna:
- Both beef and canned tuna are high in calories, potassium and protein.
- Beef has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12.
- Beef is a great source of iron.
- Canned tuna has 52% less cholesterol than beef.
- For omega-3 fatty acids, canned tuna has more dha, epa and dpa than beef.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Canned Tuna (Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, without salt, drained solids) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both beef and canned tuna are high in calories. Beef has 116% more calories than canned tuna - beef has 277 calories per 100 grams and canned tuna has 128 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, beef is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to canned tuna for carbs. Beef has a macronutrient ratio of 38:0:62 and for canned tuna, 78:0:22 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Beef | Canned Tuna | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 38% | 78% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 62% | 22% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Protein
protein
Both beef and canned tuna are high in protein. Beef has a little more protein (7%) than canned tuna by weight - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and canned tuna has 23.6g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Beef is high in saturated fat and canned tuna has 89% less saturated fat than beef - beef has 7.3g of saturated fat per 100 grams and canned tuna has 0.79g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Canned tuna has less trans fat than beef - beef has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and canned tuna does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Canned tuna has 52% less cholesterol than beef - beef has 88mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and canned tuna has 42mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Beef and canned tuna contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - beef has 3ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and canned tuna has 6ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Beef and canned tuna contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - beef has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and canned tuna does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Beef and canned tuna contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - beef has 0.12mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and canned tuna does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Beef and canned tuna contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - beef has 3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and canned tuna does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Beef has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12. Both beef and canned tuna contain significant amounts of niacin and Vitamin B6.
| Beef | Canned Tuna | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.051 MG | 0.008 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.176 MG | 0.044 MG |
| Niacin | 4.537 MG | 5.799 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.658 MG | 0.124 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.336 MG | 0.217 MG |
| Folate | 11 UG | 2 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.9 UG | 1.17 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Beef has 150% more calcium than canned tuna - beef has 35mg of calcium per 100 grams and canned tuna has 14mg of calcium.
iron
Beef is a great source of iron and it has 132% more iron than canned tuna - beef has 2.3mg of iron per 100 grams and canned tuna has 0.97mg of iron.
potassium
Both beef and canned tuna are high in potassium. Beef has 16% more potassium than canned tuna - beef has 275mg of potassium per 100 grams and canned tuna has 237mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, canned tuna has more DHA, EPA and DPA than beef per 100 grams. Both beef and canned tuna contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Beef | Canned Tuna | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.056 G | 0.071 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.629 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.233 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.018 G |
| Total | 0.056 G | 0.951 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, beef has more linoleic acid than canned tuna per 100 grams.
| Beef | Canned Tuna | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.047 G | 0.051 G |
| linoleic acid | 0.39 G | 0.055 G |
| Total | 0.437 G | 0.106 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Canned Tuna (Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, without salt, drained solids) .
Cooked Beef g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Canned Tuna g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does beef or canned tuna contain more calories in 100 grams?Both beef and canned tuna are high in calories. Beef has 120% more calories than canned tuna - beef has 277 calories in 100g and canned tuna has 128 calories.
Is beef or canned tuna better for protein?
Both beef and canned tuna are high in protein. Beef has a little more protein ( 10%) than canned tuna by weight - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and canned tuna has 23.6g of protein.
Does beef or canned tuna contain more potassium?
Both beef and canned tuna are high in potassium. Beef has 20% more potassium than canned tuna - beef has 275mg of potassium in 100 grams and canned tuna has 237mg of potassium.