Ground meats are often well tolerated by gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band patients. They are readily available, cook quickly, and are quite versatile. You can make them in recipes that add moisture so that they are more easily tolerated than dry meats like chicken breast or steak.
Ground beef, turkey, chicken, and pork each have their own flavors and nutritional content. While they can often be interchangeable in recipes, it’s good to know their differences. We’ve created a handy chart highlighting the nutritional differences between the cooked ground meats.
Type of Meat |
Calories in 1 oz |
Protein in 1 oz |
Carbs in 1 oz |
Fat in 1 oz |
Best Uses |
Ground Beef 96% |
48 |
8 g |
0 g |
1 g |
Best in recipes where you can’t drain off the fat. |
Ground Beef 93% |
53 |
7 g |
0 g |
1 g |
Best in recipes where you can’t drain off the fat. |
Ground Beef 80/20 |
72 |
5 g |
0 g |
5 g |
Best in recipes where you can drain the fat or recipes that need to be held together. |
Ground Turkey |
57 |
7 g |
0 g |
2 g |
Less flavorful than ground beef, best in recipes with extra spices and flavors. |
Ground Chicken |
53 |
6 g |
0 g |
3 g |
Less flavorful than ground beef, best in recipes with extra spices and flavors. |
Ground Pork |
52 |
5 g |
0 g |
3 g |
Milder flavor than ground beef. Tends to be fatty, so best used in recipes where fat can be drained. |
Ground meats can work well in a wide variety of bariatric friendly recipes: chili, meatballs, tacos, stuffed peppers, burgers, hash, bowls, meatloaf, and skillet meals. The flavor profiles and spices you choose to add will increase the variety of your meal options.
Generally speaking, ground meats with a higher fat content will have less protein. None of the unprocessed ground meats should have any carbohydrates. This makes them ideal for adding into your bariatric diet to maximize weight loss and to minimize the carbohydrate content of your diet.
To find bariatric friendly recipes using ground beef, ground pork, ground chicken, and ground
turkey, “like” Dr. Shilingford’s Facebook page and search through his wide variety of blog posts
found on www.drshilingford.com and www.gastricsleevesurgeryflorida.com. Dr. Shillingford, MD, PA is a board-certified surgeon specializing in advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery and bariatric surgery. His Boca Raton office is conveniently located for his gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and lap band patients coming from Delray Beach, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and even as far away as Orlando.