Beef and veal are common choices when selecting red meat to include in the diet. Beef comes from beef cattle. Angus, Texas Longhorn, Argentine and Wagyu are some of the more familiar breeds used for beef. Veal is the meat from young male cattle usually younger than 20-weeks old. Veal and beef both have the nutrients, vitamins and minerals found in red meat.
Fat Content in Veal and Beef
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Similar cuts of beef and veal come from adult cows and calves. In a 3-ounce piece of braised veal top round there are 5.38 grams of fat and only 2.15 grams of saturated fat. Saturated fat should be limited in the diet. Veal has 114 milligrams of cholesterol, which is 38 percent of the Daily Value. Total fat is 8 percent of the DV. In comparison to the same 3-ounce cut of braised beef top round, there is slightly less fat and saturated fat -- 4.53 grams of fat and 1.632 grams of saturated fat. Beef also has less cholesterol -- 77 milligrams at 26 percent of the DV.
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Protein in Veal and Beef
Both veal and beef have the same amount of protein in 3-ounce pieces of top round. Veal has 30.7 grams of protein and beef has 30.3 grams of protein.
Calorie Content
Veal and beef have approximately 8 percent of the total daily calories based on a 2,000-calorie diet. A 3-ounce piece of braised veal top round has 179 calories. That same size and cut of beef contains 170 calories.
Vitamin Content of Veal and Beef
Red meat is a good source of B-vitamins which are necessary for energy systems and metabolism. There are 0.99 micrograms of B-12 in veal compared to 2.28 micrograms in beef. The amount of thiamin in each are similar -- 0.051 milligrams in veal and 0.06 milligrams in beef. Veal has 0.298 milligrams of riboflavin while beef has 0.213 milligrams. Veal has 45 percent of the DV of niacin with 8.976 milligrams. The same 3-ounce piece of beef has 3.196 milligrams of niacin. Veal has 0.867 milligrams of pantothenic acid and beef has 0.315 milligrams. Both veal and beef have similar amounts of vitamin B-6 -- 0.306 milligrams in veal and 0.238 milligrams in beef. As for other vitamins, neither veal nor beef are good sources of vitamin A, E, or D. There is a trace amount of Vitamin K in beef and 5.95 micrograms in veal.
Minerals in Veal and Beef
Beef and veal have 2 percent of the DV of sodium in 3-ounce pieces of top round. Veal has 57 milligrams of sodium and beef has 38 milligrams of sodium. As a source of iron, veal has 1.12 milligrams in a braised 3-ounce piece of top round. There are 2.78 milligrams of iron in the same cut of braised beef. Beef and veal supply the diet with a quarter of the daily value of zinc. There are 3.37 milligrams of zinc in veal -- 22 percent DV -- and 3.83 milligrams in beef, which is 26 percent of DV.