Beef Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Beef liver at 135 kcal per 100g raw contains a micronutrient concentration unmatched by any other food in the USDA database. Its vitamin A at 4,968mcg (552% DV) is entirely preformed retinol — the most bioavailable form. Vitamin B12 reaches 59.3mcg (2,471% DV), the highest natural concentration of any commonly consumed food. Folate at 290mcg (73% DV) and iron at 4.9mg (27% DV) add further density ^[1][2].

Copper is an overlooked standout at 9.76mg (1,084% DV) per 100g — far exceeding any muscle meat. Selenium at 39.7mcg (72% DV), riboflavin at 2.76mg (212% DV), and niacin at 13.2mg (82% DV) round out the profile. In a single 3 oz (85g) serving: approximately 115 kcal, 17.3g protein, 4,222mcg vitamin A, 50.4mcg B12, and 247mcg folate ^[1][5].

The trade-off is cholesterol at 275mg per 100g (92% DV) and vitamin A at levels where frequent large servings could exceed the tolerable upper intake of 3,000mcg/day. For food journaling, beef liver is best tracked as an occasional, nutrient-dense addition — a single 100g serving already exceeds the daily recommended vitamin A by 5.5x.

The calorie range across beef muscle cuts spans from 160 kcal (sirloin lean, broiled) to 291 kcal (ribeye raw) per 100g — an 82% difference driven almost entirely by fat content. Ribeye has 23.7g fat vs. sirloin lean's 5.45g — a 4.3x difference. Chuck (198 kcal, 13.1g fat), tenderloin (218 kcal, 15.3g fat), and brisket (220 kcal, 16.5g fat) fall between these extremes ^[1][3].

Protein varies less dramatically: ribeye (18.2g) to sirloin lean (26.3g) — a 44% range compared to fat's 335% range. This means cut selection primarily changes fat and calorie density while protein stays relatively stable. For food journals tracking protein per calorie, sirloin lean (6.1 kcal/g protein) is twice as efficient as ribeye (16.0 kcal/g protein) ^[1].

Ground beef at 90/10 (175 kcal raw) sits close to sirloin in calories, but at 70/30 (~332 kcal raw) approaches ribeye territory. The lean percentage on ground beef packaging is the single most important label to check for accurate journaling.

Beef kidney at 99 kcal per 100g is lean and protein-rich (17.4g), but its defining feature is selenium at 141mcg (256% DV) — by far the highest concentration in any beef cut. Sirloin lean has 39.1mcg, liver has 39.7mcg, and heart has 21.8mcg. Kidney provides 3.6x more selenium than the next-highest beef cut ^[1][2].

Additional mineral strengths include iron at 4.6mg (26% DV) and vitamin A at 419mcg (47% DV) — unique among organ meats since heart, brain, and tongue have negligible vitamin A. Thiamine at 0.357mg (30% DV) is the highest of any beef product. Folate at 98mcg (25% DV) is meaningful but lower than liver's 290mcg ^[1].

Cholesterol at 411mg per 100g (137% DV) is high. Kidney is traditionally prepared braised or in steak-and-kidney pie. For food journaling, kidney offers a unique selenium advantage unavailable from muscle meats at a low calorie cost.

Beef heart is the leanest organ meat at 112 kcal, 17.7g protein, 3.94g fat per 100g — leaner than sirloin (180 kcal, 8.6g fat), chuck (198 kcal, 13.1g fat), and even leaner than liver (135 kcal, 3.6g fat) in calorie density. Iron at 4.31mg (24% DV) is comparable to liver (4.9mg) and higher than any muscle cut ^[1][2].

Thiamine at 0.238mg (20% DV) is the highest among beef organ meats (kidney excepted). Niacin at 7.36mg (46% DV) exceeds most muscle cuts. Heart is also one of the richest dietary sources of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) at approximately 5.1mg per 100g — a value found in published research but not tracked in standard USDA nutrient databases ^[2][5].

Cholesterol at 124mg per 100g is moderate — lower than liver (275mg), kidney (411mg), and brain (3,010mg). Heart's macro profile makes it nutritionally closer to lean steak than to other organ meats, with the added benefit of significantly higher iron and B-vitamins.

Beef brain is the most compositionally distinct of all beef products: 143 kcal, 10.86g protein, 10.3g fat, 1.05g carbohydrate per 100g. Its protein content (10.9g) is the lowest of any beef product — less than half of muscle meats (18–26g). The cholesterol at 3,010mg (1,003% DV) is the highest of any commonly consumed food, approximately 11x higher than liver (275mg) and 35x higher than muscle meat (68–85mg) ^[1].

Brain's fat profile is unique: high in phospholipids and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) rather than the triglycerides that dominate muscle fat. It also has notable calcium at 43mg (the highest of any beef product), vitamin C at 10.5mg (unusual for meat), and vitamin E at 1.01mg — the highest vitamin E among all beef organs and cuts ^[1][2].

Brain is traditionally consumed in some South Asian, Latin American, and Mediterranean cuisines (as 'bheja fry', 'sesos', or 'cervella'). For food journaling, brain requires special attention due to its extreme cholesterol content and atypical macro ratios — it should not be logged using generic 'beef' entries.