Deer meat is probably not a common thing to eat around the world unless you are into hunting and eating your own game. Hunters will claim that the deer meat they shoot in the wild is superior to the beef that you eat in your burger. While hunters brag about everything they kill, probably the claim that deer meat is the superior meat is not just an empty brag. Besides the claim that the meat has a tasty and unique “gamey” that actually is not much different to beef, venison also allegedly contains more nutrients compared to other meat.
Here are 15 The Health Benefits of Eating Deer Meat
The nutrients in deer meat or venison actually differ based on the preparation method. A 3-ounce of well-prepared ground venison contains only 134 calories and 18 grams of protein. The calories are significantly lower compared to lean beef, which has 247 calories for the same serving. In addition, deer meat also contains other important nutrients like iron, vitamin B6, and B12. There is no wonder that consuming the meat will give you multiple health benefits.
1. Prevents The Spike of Homocysteine
Homocysteine is an amino acid which is problematic and a cause of several diseases and disorders that can damage the body. When your body has a high level of homocysteine, damage to the blood vessels may occur. A damage to the blood vessels is the cause of many fatal and chronic illnesses, including diabetes and an increased risk of atherosclerosis that can lead to stroke and heart diseases.
An increase of the level of this problematic amino acid in your body is believed to be a result of the lack of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. Both of these vitamins are abundant in the meat that is derived from the deer. As a result, when you consume deer meat, your body gets a sufficient amount of vitamin B6 and B12 it needs to prevent the spike of homocysteine.
In addition, a high level of homocysteine may also lead to the development of osteoporosis. A study which is conducted recently confirmed this. The experiment observed women who took more vitamin B12 compared to the other group of women who consumed less vitamin B12every day. The study demonstrated that women with lower intake of vitamin B12 later experienced a higher risk of suffering from osteoporosis.
2. Prevents Anemia
Deer meat is a rich source of iron, a very important mineral that determines your blood’s ability to transport oxygen to all parts of your body. Anemia is a common disorder with symptoms that include fatigue, general weakness, lightheadedness, skin discoloration, irregularity of heartbeat, poor blood circulation, headache, and sometimes also insufficient blood support.
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia. Iron deficiency anemia is a type of anemia where your blood doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells that can carry oxygen to all tissues of your body. When your body doesn’t have enough iron, it won’t be able to produce enough hemoglobin that binds and carries the oxygen. Most of the time, you can get enough iron from consuming your regular foods. However, there are situations where your body experiences problems with absorbing iron. In this case, you need to increase your iron intake. Besides taking iron supplementation, you can also incorporate iron-rich foods into your diet, like deer meat.
3. Has Less Saturated Fat
Deer meat or venison has considerably less saturated fat compared to the more well-known counterparts, beef, mutton, and pork. For a serving of three ounces of deer meat that you consume, you only get 3,30 g of fat. The same serving of pork will give you a whopping 10,64 g, whole beef and mutton give 9,76 g and 7,63 g respectively. Even when compared to chicken, deer meat is still superior because it gives you a lower amount of fat.
Saturated fat is one of the most dangerous markers for many chronic and fatal illnesses. Consuming too many saturated fats will lead to obesity because this is not the type of fat that is easily converted by your body through its metabolism process. In addition, saturated fat also leads to heart problems.
4. Contains Fewer Cholesterols
Compared to other types of meat, deer meat also has the lowest amount of cholesterol. For each three-ounces of the meat, you will get 66 g of cholesterol. This figure is significantly lower compared to what you can find in beef, pork, and mutton. The same serving of beef has 92 mg cholesterol while mutton has 93 mg. Meanwhile, pork has the highest amount of total cholesterol, with almost 101 mg for each gram of its meat. In addition, chicken is not actually a better alternative for meat with less cholesterol content. Each serving of chicken meat that you consume gives you 83 mg of cholesterol. Based on this, we can conclude that venison is the best type of meat that you can consume if you want to limit your cholesterol intake without having to give up meat.
5. Helps Muscle Building
Venison contains relatively high protein and lower calories when compared to other meat. Protein is important in the development of muscle mass and strength. The more protein you consume, the more muscles you can build. This is very important if you are physically active, doing weightlifting training, or just generally are trying to gain more strength and get into shape. When your protein intake is high, you can also prevent muscle loss that happens when your body is in a breaking down state. In addition, deer meat is also an important source of iron, which is a vital component in the formation of myoglobin, the protein that binds oxygen in mammals’ muscle tissues.
6. Supports Your Weight Loss Program
Humans get their energy from the three macronutrients that each affects us in its special ways: carbs, fats, and proteins. From those three macronutrients, protein is considered as the best energy source, especially for people who aim to stay in shape. If you aim to lose some weight, foods that are rich in protein like deer meat should be in your diet. This is because, according to multiple studies, protein is the most filling macronutrient. So, you will feel less hungry while eating less food.
Part of this happens because consuming protein helps reduce the level of ghrelin in your body, the hormone that signals hunger to your brain. In addition, it also increases the level of peptides, the hormone that controls satiety and makes you feel full. Improving your protein intake will make you reduce your overall calories throughout the day, simply because it reduces your craving and makes you unintentionally limit your food intake.
In addition, deer meat also has a lower amount of fat compared to another source of meat, which may contribute to the increase of your waistline. So, if you want to lose some belly fat or body weight, you can replace the meat from other animal sources and even unhealthy carbs in your diet with some deer meat.
7. Good for Diabetic Patients
People who suffer from diabetes will be benefited from the high amount of vitamin B6 that is present in deer meat. People with diabetes have problems with regulating their blood sugar levels. Vitamin B6 plays a role in carbohydrate conversion which is very important for blood sugar release in the body.
In addition, based on experimental animal studies, scientists believed that a diabetic state may result in a vitamin B6 deficiency. This is especially a problem for diabetic patients because, during diabetic state, many enzymes that are needed for amino acid metabolism are dependent on vitamin B6. Because of this, consuming food sources that are rich in vitamin B6 like venison is highly beneficial for people with diabetes.
8. Maintains Healthy Testosterone Level
When a man experiences an obesity problem or has a dangerously high level of cholesterol in his body, consuming unhealthy meats like mutton or beef can be dangerous for his testosterone level. This is because foods that are high in bad cholesterols will significantly reduce the level of testosterone in his body. Because of this, he should opt for a healthier alternative to meat, like deer meat which is proven to be very low in cholesterol levels even when compared to chicken meat.
9. Provides Important Nutrients for Pregnancy
During pregnancy, an expecting mother needs to have her needs of necessary nutrients met so that her fetus gets what it needs to develop properly and healthily. Some of the important nutrients that are needed during pregnancy can be obtained by consuming deer meat. Protein, for example, is very important to support cells, muscle, and brain development of the fetus. In addition, venison is also rich in iron which is important for red blood cells formation. This will prevent anemia in pregnant mothers which can be fatal because these red blood cells carry important nutrients to the fetus.
10. Speeds Up Injury Recovery
The protein in deer meat helps your body repair itself after it gets injured. As a building nutrient, the protein in venison plays an important role in cell regeneration. This is because protein forms the main building blocks of your body’s cells, tissues, and organs. So, wound and injury healing will happen at a faster rate when you consume more protein regularly as it supplies the building block of your new tissues. Deer meat is a perfect source of protein, so it should be on your list of foods to have when you’re in recovery.
11. Prevents Osteoporosis
Deer meat also has a good amount of calcium, making it perfect to consume if you want to protect and strengthen your bones. Healthy bones support your body to stay productive and carry out your daily activities normally. When your body doesn’t get enough calcium, your bones will get weak and the density can be reduced, putting you at risk of osteoporosis. Unfortunately, your body cannot make calcium by itself, so you have to get your calcium intake from foods or supplement.
In addition, the protein in deer meat is also good for your bones. According to many long-term studies, people who consume more protein tend to maintain better bone mass when they get older. Healthy bone mass reduces the risks of fractures and osteoporosis and enables you to stay productive.
12. Reduces The Risks of Heart Attack
Because deer meat contains a relatively low level of saturated fat, consuming the meat doesn’t increase the risk of developing cardiovascular problems. On the contrary, deer meat is a source of healthy fats so it doesn’t harm your heart. It also contains only a small amount of cholesterol, which will not increase your bad cholesterol levels, unlike most other types of meat like beef, pork, or mutton. When your body has too much bad or LDL cholesterol, your arteries can be clogged by the cholesterol buildup, leading to atherosclerosis or the hardening of your arteries. When your arteries are stiff, your blood will not be able to flow well. Over time, this may lead to conditions like heart disease, angina, peripheral arterial disease, heart attack, or stroke. The niacin in deer meat will boost HDL cholesterol that can combat the bad effect of LDL cholesterol.
13. Lowers Blood Pressure
Unlike pork, mutton, or beef, deer meat won’t cause any spikes in your blood pressure. On the contrary, the protein-rich meat may even control your blood pressure. According to multiple studies, a higher protein diet leads to a lower blood pressure, along with a decrease in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides level. High blood pressure or hypertension is a major cause of multiple dangerous problems, including strokes, heart attacks, and kidney diseases.
14. Eases Menstrual Pain
Menstruation is not only a problem for many women because of the mess it creates, but also because of the pain, it comes with. Some women experience an intense pain a few days before and during the early time of their period. According to some sources, stomach cramp and chest pain can be reduced by consuming deer meat during the period. In addition, the loss of blood that women experience during their menstrual bleeding will also be replenished well because of the iron in deer meat.
15. Promotes Quality Sleep
As an important source of vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, deer meat may help you get a sound and peaceful sleep. Vitamin B6 plays an important role in regulating your sleep patterns because it participates in the production of melatonin, serotonin, and norepinephrine. In addition to helping you get a quality sleep, these important hormones also improve your mood. Eating deer meat at dinner will ease your anxiety and lead you to a nice night of sound sleep and good mood.