According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, ground beef is the most commonly used beef product in the country. It is unique, however, in that there is such a wide range of lean and fat content ground beef available in retail stores. To create a standard nutrient profile, the USDA conducted studies that established nutrition facts for ground beef containing 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 percent fat content, raw and cooked. Computer regression analysis was used to generate data for any percentage fat content in between these values, and this information is available online in what the USDA calls its "Ground Beef Calculator."
Calories
The fat content of ground beef has a profound effect on its total calories. A full pound of raw 95-percent lean ground beef contains just 621 calories. The same amount of raw 70-percent lean ground beef, which is 30 percent fat, has 1506 calories -- more than twice as much! A 100-gram serving of broiled 95-percent lean ground beef, just under a quarter pound, has 171 calories. The same amount of broiled 75-percent lean beef has 1141 calories.
Protein
Protein is the most abundant nutrient in ground beef, and the cooking process concentrates the level of protein by melting away much of the fat. A pound of raw 95-percent lean beef has 97 g of protein. But the same amount of broiled 95-percent lean ground beef has 119 g of protein. The difference is even more pronounced with the fattier meat. A pound of raw 70-percent lean ground beef has 65 g of protein. When most of the fat is cooked away, a pound of broiled 70-percent lean beef has 115 g of protein. The difference is the amount of raw meat necessary to produce a pound of broiled beef.
Total Fat
Broiled 70-percent ground beef still has about three times as much total fat as does the same amount of broiled 95-percent lean beef, according to the USDA data. A 100-gram serving of broiled 95-percent lean beef contains just 6.55 g of total fat, of which about half is saturated fat and half is monounsaturated fat. The same amount of broiled 75-percent lean beef has more than 18 g of total fat of the same general composition. A 100-gram. serving of broiled 75-percent ground beef has 82 mg of cholesterol, but cooked 95-percent lean beef has 76.
Carbohydrate
Ground beef has no carbohydrates. Fatty, lean, raw or cooked, there is no sugar, fiber or other carbohydrates in ground beef of any sort. Obviously, however, condiments, bread, and side dishes often consumed with ground beef can add a significant amount of carbohydrates, as can sauces, flavorings or other ingredients added to ground beef in recipes.
Other Nutrients
The value of other nutrients does vary substantially based on the fat content of ground beef. With the exception of sodium, calcium and copper, leaner beef tends to have slightly higher values. Minerals in ground beef include magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, manganese and selenium. A 100-gram serving of broiled 95-percent ground beef contains 65 mg of sodium, whereas the same amount of broiled 70-percent ground beef contains 81 mg. Ground beef also contains significant quantities of B vitamins, including B12, and lesser amounts of vitamins K and E.
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