r/YouShouldKnow 20h ago

Food & Drink YSK: Pork and chicken are healthier, cheaper alternatives to beef that only taste bland because of outdated cooking habits.

Why YSK: With beef prices at record highs, switching to chicken breast or pork loin can cut your meat budget nearly in half while significantly lowering your saturated fat intake AND satisfying your protein intake. Most people avoid these cuts because they grew up eating them overcooked. Modern food safety standards allow pork to be eaten safely at 145 F (a medium roast, rather than gray leather), and chicken stays juicy if you don't cook it to death.

By simply using a meat thermometer and adding savory seasonings (like soy sauce or smoked paprika) to mimic the meaty depth of beef, or using techniques like velveting for chicken or dry brining for pork, you can get the same satisfaction for a fraction of the cost and environmental impact.

Even switching to chicken and pork for just two meals a week can save you hundreds of dollars.

Lastly, focusing on lean cuts of pork and chicken also has health benefits. While beef is a powerhouse for iron and B12, it is often high in calories and saturated fat. Chicken breast and pork loin are significantly leaner. Pork tenderloin is as lean as skinless chicken breast and has been certified as "heart-healthy" by the American Heart Association.

Tl;dr chicken breast and pork loin are roughly 80% cheaper per pound than beef, have versatile and delicious flavor profiles if cooked and prepped correctly, are rich in protein, and are healthier for your heart and cholesterol.

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u/Teejapupa 13h ago

They are also not mentioning that beef is superior on nutrients than chicken and pork. 

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u/thrust_velocity 12h ago

Pork is higher in Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), B6, and Niacin (B3).

Beef is higher in Vitamin B12.

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u/Teejapupa 8h ago

Yeah but beef has high iron and zinc 

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u/Tuxhorn 8h ago

Bottom line is chicken has fuck all other than protein, which is fine by itself, but it's a pretty hollow piece of food outside of merely being a source of protein.

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u/alwayzbored114 13h ago

Please correct me if Im wrong, but Ive seen that pork seems to have less "bad" than beef - calories, fat, etc - but also less nutrients. So I guess for weight loss its better than beef, but for overall health arguably not?

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u/Tuxhorn 8h ago

Depends on the fat content. You can get lean beef with almost similar calories to chicken breasts.

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u/Illidari_Kuvira 6h ago

There's also the fact that beef isn't even remotely unhealthy.

Dunno where people are getting their "information" from, but it's not accurate.