What Is The Nutritional Value Of Broth Cooked From Chicken & Beef At Home?

The nutritional value of homemade chicken or beef broth can vary widely, since virtually every recipe will be somewhat different. Both types of broth do tend to be fairly high in sodium; to cut sodium from your diet, you can simply prepare your broth with little or no salt.

Calories and Fat

One-half cup of typical chicken broth contains about 20 calories; the same serving of beef broth contains about 15 calories. The total fat content of the chicken broth is 1 gram; the beef broth, on the other hand, contains virtually no fat. However, both the calories and the fat content of both chicken and beef broth can vary widely depending on the specific recipe, cooking style and original meat you use. For example, precooking lean chicken or beef and draining off any excess fat can help you create a final broth that is lower in both calories and fat.

Sodium

Typical chicken broth contains about 770 milligrams of sodium per 1/2-cup serving; typical beef broth contains 861 milligrams of sodium. This extremely high sodium content is primarily due to the fact that most recipes call for a significant amount of salt; how much your broth will contain depends primarily on how much salt you choose to include. Eating too much sodium can lead to potentially life-threatening blood pressure and heart disorders, so MayoClinic.com recommends consuming no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.

Cholesterol

Chicken broth contains about 5 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per serving, while the beef broth contains only negligible amounts. Like the calorie and fat contents, the cholesterol content depends on the type of meat you use in your recipe and how you cook it. Excessively high levels of cholesterol can be harmful to your heart and your blood pressure; therefore, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming no more than 300 total milligrams of cholesterol per day.

Protein

All the cells and systems throughout your body need protein from your diet for maintenance and healing. A 1/2-cup serving of chicken broth contains about 1 gram of dietary protein, and the same serving of beef broth contains about 3 grams. Men generally need about 56 grams of protein per day, and women generally need about 46 grams per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.