Nutrition Information For 85 Percent Lean Ground Chuck

Ground beef is labeled and sold by the meat:fat ratio. So 85 percent lean ground chuck is 85 percent meat and 15 percent fat. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI, notes that beef is the only food for which the word "lean" can be used if the product has more than 10 percent fat. According to CSPI, "The USDA ordinarily allows claims like '85 percent lean' only on foods that are 'low-fat' (no more than three grams of fat per serving). But the USDA allows 'percent lean' on ground beef claims no matter how fatty the meat is." A 3-oz. serving of 85 percent ground beef contains 13 g of fat.

Macronutrients

A 3-oz. serving of 85 percent "lean" ground beef contains 185 calories, 16 g of protein and 13 g of fat. Protein contains 4 calories per gram, while fat contains 9 calories per gram. The majority of calories in a serving of 85 percent lean ground beef come from fat -- and almost half of that fat is saturated fat, the type of fat most closely associated with elevated cholesterol levels. There is no natural sugar or fiber in ground beef -- no carbohydrate of any kind.

Vitamins and Minerals

Eight-five percent lean ground beef can be a good source of choline and vitamin B-12 and also contains some other B vitamins, notably niacin and riboflavin. Zinc, iron, selenium and phosphorus are also found in ground beef; but beef lacks vitamins A, C, D, K, beta-carotene, lycopene and calcium. As a variety of brightly colored vegetables can provide most of the missing vitamins and minerals, you can enhance the nutrition of your ground beef meal by including a salad or serving of steamed vegetables.

Ground Beef

Ground beef may be the most commonly consumed meat product in America, according to CSPI. Most ground beef sold in the supermarket labelled simply "ground beef" is 70 percent meat and 30 percent fat. This is the blend also used most often in fast food applications. "Ground chuck" denotes the actual cut of meat. Chuck is leaner than "ground beef" but not as lean as "ground round," which is 90 percent meat and 10 percent fat, or "ground sirloin" -- the leanest option, which is 97 percent meat and 3 percent fat. The leaner the cut of meat, the more expensive it is. Ground sirloin can cost 50 percent more than ground beef at your local market.

Reducing Fat Content

Although a USDA serving size of ground beef is 3 oz., typical restaurant burgers can weigh a half pound -- 8-oz. -- or more. That could be 40 g of fat, plus any fat added during the cooking process and toppings such as cheese, bacon and mayonnaise. Add a side of fries, and one meal might contain two days' worth of saturated fat. You can reduce fat content by practicing portion control, grilling rather than frying your burger, allowing the burger to rest on a paper towel after cooking to absorb excess oil or using a combination of ground beef and legumes such as black beans or lentils. Adding beans to your ground beef will cut calories and fat and add dietary fiber.