During the current pandemic, meat prices are expected to rise for two reasons: people rushing out to buy it (along with toilet paper) in preparation for quarantine or a second wave, and the many processing plants temporarily closed or slowing output due to employees testing positive for COVID-19.
While many people are simply choosing whatever meat they can grab at the store, it's also worth taking the time to determine which product is best for your health, which is something else you may be focusing on a bit (read: a lot) these days. If you have to choose between chicken and beef (and haven't jumped on the plant-based meat trend), chicken may be the wiser choice for one very good reason.
While beef and chicken share many attributes, they aren't entirely equal (as anyone who has tried to switch over from beef to turkey burgers can tell you). Both are excellent sources of protein, but your body can only absorb 74% of the protein in beef you eat, while it can absorb 80% of the protein from chicken. Still, that's a minor drawback of choosing a burger over a chicken breast for lunch. There's even a case to be made for the higher levels of iron and zinc in beef, which are important nutrients for building your immune system and supporting brain health.
Related: 10 Quick Recipes to Make With Costco's $5 Rotisserie Chicken
But the biggest differences are that chicken has fewer calories, less cholesterol, and less saturated fat than beef — and that last one is important. Saturated fat causes an increase in LDL blood levels, and high LDL is linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke — which makes chicken a better pick, health-wise, than beef.