Every fall across this great land of ours, thousands of hunters head to the fields and hills to pursue their favorite game animals. Those of us throughout the eastern states will most often pursue whitetail deer. Hunters often travel to the western states to hunt mule deer, elk, moose, Bighorn sheep, and antelope. While some hunters refer to the meat of a whitetail deer as “venison,” the truth of the matter is that the meat of all of these various animals is lumped into the term “venison.” So, keep that in mind as we look at data and statistics that describe the benefits of venison as compared to other meats that we consume.

There are many reasons why hunters spend so much time outdoors, but certainly one of the main reasons is to be able to supply our families a freezer full of tasty free-range wild game meat. With the continual rise in the price of food and fuel seems to have no foreseeable end, the cost of any sort of red meat, particularly beef, just keeps rising.

Additionally, many of us like to hunt simply because the various types of venison are said to be healthier for us.

The initial thought is that it must be healthier because all of these animals are free-range and eat organic food sources. Unlike some farm-raised animals, they do not consume or are not injected with hormones, antibiotics, or other government-approved chemicals. For most folks, this is reason enough to consider any venison as a healthier alternative to other red meats. But, let’s take a closer look at some data that will support the idea that venison is truly better for you than some of the alternatives.

Every Pennsylvania hunter who has succeeded over the years in taking a deer in the fall has seen that when the carcass is processed, there is a noticeable layer of fat just under the hide and layered on top of the carcass itself. This layer can vary in thickness and, at times, can be quite thick as the animal has built up this reserve layer of fat in preparation for the winter months ahead when food is less available. But the meat itself tends to be less marbled with fat as you would find in beef, for instance. According to a study by Michigan State University, a 3-ounce cooked serving of ground venison has 159 calories. The same size serving of ground beef contains 204 calories, and the equal size serving of ground pork yielded 252 calories. In fact, it has been determined that venison has fewer calories than turkey, chicken, and lamb. If you are trying to reduce caloric intake, venison is thus a good alternative to other meats.

When it comes to the protein levels, venison has a slight advantage, with approximately 22.5 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving, whereas the same size serving of beef yielded 21 grams of protein, and the pork serving yielded 22 grams. Venison is also shown to have a better amount of fat than beef and pork.

The same serving size of ground venison has only 7 grams of fat and 3.4 grams of saturated fat. On the other hand, beef has 12.5 grams of fat and 4.8 grams of saturated fat. Pork has 18 grams of fat and 6.5 grams of saturated fat in the same size portion.

If you have set a goal of reducing weight after the more sedentary lifestyle that most folks live during the less active winter months, selecting venison as the meat in an otherwise well-balanced diet can help. It is a proven fact that carbohydrates are not good for us when we are trying to lose weight, making the level of carbohydrates in venison an added bonus.

Venison has zero carbohydrates.

Further, it is also rich in Vitamin B2 and B3, which aid in metabolism, giving you more energy.

If you still hesitate to add more venison to your diet, please consult your family doctor.

I know of several instances where individuals have had heart issues and were advised by their doctors to cut out all red meat in their diet permanently. Upon inquiring about eating venison, they were told they could consume venison as much as they would like.