So besides answering the question, "Why would you rather eat wild game over beef," with a simple, "Because it's better," and going on gloating about your superiority to beef lovers, try and take a moment and thoughtfully construct an argument for your preference. You never know, the cow meat fanatic you're sitting next to could be converted when you rattle off these benefits of venison.
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In order to fully construct a convincing argument as to why more people should enjoy deer, you need to be aware of the reasons yourself. Here are 27 of them.
Of course, you really only need to use 10 at any given time to persuade someone, so pick your top 10 favorite reasons and start memorizing them for the next time you're forced to participate in small talk at a party.
Good Game Hunting put together this incredible infographic that breaks down the health benefits of venison. To learn more, read on.
1. It's scrumptious
This is the number one reason why you should eat venison. Truly, it's delicious. While some people may complain that it tastes "gamey", this could be because of their personal tastes or improper field dressing.
For most red meat lovers, however, venison is not gamey so much as it is a succulent cut of meat to be enjoyed on all occasions. Game meat for all!
2. You can save money
Once you have all the deer hunting equipment and skills you need to hunt, skin, process, and prepare wild game meat, hunting for your meat rather than buying it at the store can be up to 78 percent cheaper, based on costs in Montana.
If you work it out with gas, hunting license, and rifle cartridges included, one deer comes out to be about $76. If you suppose that your kill averages 80 pounds of edible meat, that works out to be 95 cents per pound.
The current average cost of ground beef in the United States is $4.23 per pound. That's a saving of $3.28 per pound, or 78 percent cheaper.
3. It's healthy for you
Deer is naturally free range and organic. As it roams wild and free it munches on grass and acorns, no hormones or antibiotics are involved. So by the time you are getting to enjoy your roast wild venison that's incidentally free-range, you don't have to worry about ingesting anything else than what nature intended.
4. Deer meat is humane
.Deer that you hunt are never subjected to cramped living quarters, mass amounts of chemicals, or any of the other sufferings imposed by modern farming practices that inhibits purely natural food. So long as ethical hunting is implemented, choosing to eat wild game meat, and deer in particular, is one of the most humanely treated animals you can consume.
5. It's safe
Just like all meat, there is always some risk in its consumption. However, the biggest concerns with eating venison is chronic wasting disease (CWD). However, there is no evidence as yet that CWD can be transmitted to humans (although the research continues through the CDC). So that's good news all around.
As for other food-borne illnesses, like E. coli, simply treat other animal meat as you would beef cattle and cook to completion until a safe temperature is reached.
6. The satisfaction of a job well done
There is something about self-sufficiency that makes you feel good. So don't deny yourself that feeling by shopping at the store. Instead, feed those that are 'deer' to you with meat you hunted, processed, and cleaned yourself.
Eating wild game and sharing natural food sources is a time-honored tradition that has deep roots in the country and brings each of us closer to the land.
7. Convenience
Sure, up front it doesn't seem as convenient to hunt your meat versus buying it at the grocery store. But think about it. If for one deer you come up with 80 pounds of meat, that means that once you've hunted one animal for the season, you're going to have meat to eat for months to come, and that's counting ounces larger than the proper serving size.
Bye bye grocery store trips. And with cheaper lean meats in your freezer, you're about to save so much money. Who would've thought hunting was an excellent source of budgeting in the kitchen?
8. It doubles as a workout
All that crawling around, squatting, and maneuvering can be fun and exciting, but it is also a great work out. Who knew that gym time could be so fun!
9. Brings you closer to nature
Many hunters come from the city and this is their chance to spend some time in nature. If nothing else, deer hunting can be incredibly relaxing and therapeutic.
10. Control the deer population
Deer are notorious for overpopulating areas. Therefore, it is essential for hunters to help out the natural predators by hunting. Plus it's an economical, practical, and effective means to control the population which benefits both parties.
11. Feed people in need
If you don't think you'll be able to eat 80 pounds of venison, donate some to your local food bank. Those who are less fortunate than you are guaranteed to enjoy it.
12. Control your cholesterol
Venison has less cholesterol content than turkey and chicken and is also incredibly low in saturated fats. So the more you eat, the better your body will be able to regulate your blood cholesterol levels, keeping bad cholesterol at bay.
13. Reduce your risk of heart attack
Venison is rich in B vitamins, specifically in vitamin B12 and vitamin B6. These two are important because it has been shown that they may assist in lowering the build up of homocysteine in the blood which can reduce the risk of strokes, heart attacks, and heart disease.
14 + 15. Regulate your metabolism
Venison is full of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin) which help regulate metabolism, keeping your energy levels high all day long.
The wild game meat also has high iron levels, contributing to steady energy levels, too. To take advantage, turn some of that freezer meat into jerky for quick energy-boosting snacks.
16. Slim down
With almost no carbs and a minimal amounts of total fat, venison is ideal in nutritional value for those looking to control their figure. For scientific reasons, deer meat works to lower your triglyceride levels, which means less fat is stored, making it easier to keep your body fat down.
17. Good for food allergies
There are nutritional experts who suggest that venison can help chronic conditions like food allergies, sporadic diarrhea, and other digestive disorders.
18. High levels of CLA
CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is a natural trans fatty acid found in grass-fed animals that decreases body fat storage and increases lean skeletal muscle mass.
Sounds great, huh? Good thing venison nutrition has tons of it.
19. Great for building muscle
When you're trying to bulk up, but need to shed your fat simultaneously, you need the leanest of the lean. You need venison. Deer meat is perfect because it is red meat that is high in protein and low in fat.
20. Prevent anemia
Anemia is a condition where the level of red blood cells or hemoglobin is lower than it should be and often exists in tandem with iron deficiencies. Therefore, if you eat iron-rich venison you have a good chance of raising your iron levels and alleviating your anemic tendencies.
21. High in protein
You think a hunk of steak is packed with protein? Try venison. About 3 ounces of a top round beef steak that has been grilled contains 25.6g of protein. Similarly, the same 3 ounces of round top, but from a venison steak contains 26.8g of protein.
22. Perfect during pregnancy
Ingesting enough iron during pregnancy is essential, so try venison which has extremely high iron stores and can help prevent an iron deficiency.
23. Low in fat
To be specific, venison has 50 percent less fat than beef. A beef steak contains 3.2g while the equivalent cut of a venison steak contains only 1.6g of fat.
24. Low in calories
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Compared side by side, the same cuts from a deer and a cow contained 129 and 138 calories respectively. For the venison, that's 7 percent fewer calories than beef.
25. Trimming fat of is a cinch
Deer are already naturally low in fat, but what remains is easy to remove. Unlike beef whose fat accumulates between muscle tissue to cause marbling, deer accumulate fat in single layers around their organs.
26. Helps fulfill DRIs
DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is a suggested consumption of vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy diet.
According to Livestrong, 4 ounces of venison provides 68.5 percent of the daily value for protein and almost 50 percent of the DRI of iron for men and 31 percent for women.
27. It's a complete protein
Venison is considered a complete protein because it contains all 10 essential amino acids.
