If you’re doing an overall comparison, chicken is the healthiest (skinless of course). Red meat tends to be higher in saturated fat. The bottom line with chicken…ditch the skin and stay away from the wings. If you’re paying close attention to your fat intake, choose the leaner breast.

The only real difference is that red meat contains a high amount of iron. But you can get iron from many sources such as spinach and lentils. Does this mean you should avoid red meat altogether if you’re trying to lean out relatively quick? Nope, you don’t need to take that route if your only concern is fat loss. Just opt for the leaner sources like top sirloin. Buffalo and venison are great alternatives to either chicken or beef. However, when purchasing buffalo ( a.k.a bison) make sure it doesn’t contain any added fat. Anything containing more than 3 grams of saturated fat, has added fat.

Weather you decide on chicken or beef, don’t order it charred (black grill marks).  Those grill marks are carcinogenic. Over grilling any protein source creates HCAs (heterocyclic amines) which have been found to cause cancer. If grilling at home, using a marinade will help protect your meat.

And on that note…here’s a chart I found that I thought you all might like to reference when choosing the right protein for your needs.

** THE CHART IS BASED ON A SERVING SIZE OF 4OZ.

TYPE & CUT OF MEAT            CAL          TOTAL FAT              SAT. FAT                 CHOLESTEROL

                Chicken breast                     160         2g                            1g                            93mg

                Turkey breast                       160         1g                            0g                            74mg

                Chicken wings                       329         22g                         6g                            95mg

                Chicken thigh                        187         9g                            3g                            113mg

                Ground turkey                      120         1g                            0g                            55mg

                Ground chicken                   230         15g                         5g                            169mg

                Top sirloin steak                   280         16g                         7g                            100mg

                Eye round steak                   227         9g                            4g                            80mg

                Brisket steak                         387         28g                         11g                         107mg

                Chuck steak                           294         22g                         11g                         93mg

TIP: Careful when buying ground chicken, if it doesn’t say anything on the package, there is a big chance that it contains chicken skin, thighs and all other parts of the chicken that are NOT lean.