Emu Meat Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Emu meat provides 4.0mg iron per 100g (ground) to 4.94mg (full rump) — 22–27% of the 18mg daily value. This iron content surpasses all mainstream poultry: duck 2.4mg, quail 4.0mg, chicken breast 0.37mg. It also exceeds most beef cuts: beef round has 2.6mg, ground beef (90% lean) 2.4mg. Only bison (3.4mg), lamb liver (7.4mg), and beef liver (6.5mg) significantly surpass emu in iron density ^[1][2].

Emu's iron is predominantly heme iron (the highly bioavailable form), with approximately 40% absorption rate. Per 3 oz (85g): 3.4mg iron (19% DV). Per 4 oz steak (113g): 4.5mg iron (25% DV). A single emu steak provides a quarter of daily iron needs at only 127–152 kcal — one of the most iron-per-calorie-efficient foods available ^[1][3].

The dark red color of emu meat (darker than beef) directly reflects its exceptionally high myoglobin content. Emu is technically poultry (ratite family), but its nutritional profile — high iron, dark red color, similar texture — is functionally closer to lean beef than to chicken or turkey.

Emu fan fillet contains just 0.8g fat per 100g at 103 kcal — a protein-to-calorie efficiency of 4.6 kcal per gram of protein, matching turkey breast and rivaling cod. Saturated fat is a mere 0.25g (1% DV). This makes emu fan fillet arguably the leanest commercially available meat: turkey breast has 0.65g fat (slightly less) but emu has more iron and zinc per serving ^[1][4].

The fat varies substantially by cut: fan fillet (0.8g), full rump (1.65g), inside drum (~2.5g), ground (4.03g). Ground emu has the most fat because it combines trimmings from multiple cuts. Even ground emu at 4.03g fat is leaner than 93% lean ground turkey (7.56g) or 93% lean ground beef (7.7g) ^[1][3].

For food journaling: emu fan fillet and rump are ultra-lean protein sources comparable to or leaner than any fish fillet. Ground emu, while still lean by meat standards, has 5x the fat of fan fillet — always check which cut you're logging.

Emu delivers 3.50mg zinc per 100g (32% DV) — 5x more than chicken breast (0.68mg), more than turkey dark meat (2.96mg), and comparable to beef round (4.8mg). Selenium at 30.5mcg (55% DV) exceeds chicken breast (27.6mcg) and most fish. Per 3 oz (85g): 2.98mg zinc (27% DV) and 25.9mcg selenium (47% DV) ^[1][2].

The combination of high zinc AND high selenium in a single low-calorie meat is unusual. Chicken breast is selenium-rich but zinc-poor. Beef is zinc-rich but selenium-moderate. Emu provides both at high levels simultaneously — with iron as a third mineral bonus — at only 103–134 kcal per 100g ^[1][4].

Per 4 oz emu steak (113g): approximately 3.96mg zinc (36% DV), 34.5mcg selenium (63% DV), and 4.5mg iron (25% DV) — meaningful contributions to three often-underconsumed trace minerals in a single lean serving.

Ground emu at 134 kcal, 22.8g protein, 4.03g fat per 100g compares favorably to 90% lean ground beef at 176 kcal, 20.0g protein, 10.0g fat. Emu has 24% fewer calories, 14% more protein, and 60% less fat than the leanest commonly available ground beef. Saturated fat is also dramatically lower: ~1.02g in emu vs. ~3.9g in beef ^[1][3].

Compared to other alternative meats: ground bison has ~146 kcal and 20.2g protein (closer to emu but still less protein), ground turkey (93% lean) has 148 kcal and 19.7g protein. Emu ground leads all common ground meats in protein per calorie ^[1][4].

Emu steaks (fan fillet at 103 kcal, full rump at 112 kcal) are even more calorie-efficient than ground. A 6 oz (170g) fan fillet: 175 kcal with 38.3g protein — comparable protein to a chicken breast at similar calories, but with 4.5x more iron and 5x more zinc.

Emu's cholesterol at 69mg per 100g (ground) is lower than chicken breast (73mg), comparable to lean beef (68mg), and far below shrimp (189mg) and egg (373mg). Per 3 oz serving: approximately 59mg cholesterol (20% DV). The full rump has slightly higher cholesterol at 85mg/100g due to less fat dilution ^[1][2].

The low cholesterol combined with low saturated fat (~1g/100g in steaks) means emu has a very favorable lipid profile for a red-appearing meat. For comparison: 3 oz of emu provides 59mg cholesterol and 0.87g saturated fat, while 3 oz of beef provides 64mg cholesterol and 2.0g saturated fat ^[1][3].

For food journaling: emu's dark red color might suggest high cholesterol (by visual analogy to fatty red meat), but the data shows the opposite. Emu's cholesterol is among the lowest of any common meat, and its saturated fat is the lowest of any red meat by a substantial margin.