Beyond Beef
Springfield News Leader - Springfield, Mo.

Author:	Juliana Goodwin
Date:	Jul 20, 2009

The mainstream world of red meat is expanding.

Bison -- once considered exotic -- is now available at many grocery stores.

At Mama Jean's Natural Market, they sell almost as much buffalo as beef, says Daniel Belt, who works in supplements and nutrition at the store on Republic Road.

"It's very tender. It's very delicious. It's extremely lean. It's highly nutritious," he says.
But is there a difference in traditional beef or game meats? Advocates say game meats are lower in fat and a healthier choice. We compared the nutritional content of two types of ground beef with ground elk, bison, deer, and lamb, and found some differences.

Because bison sales are on the rise and it's widely available, we focus on bison for this story, but the chart compares several red meats. Here are a few highlights:

• Bison was the only red meat with zero grams of saturated fat.
• Elk had the least amount of cholesterol, but 85-percent lean ground beef was second.
• Deer had the least amount of calories and the most protein per ounce.
• Ground beef (75-percent lean) had the most fat at 8 grams per ounce; lamb was a close second with 7 grams.
• Deer and lamb were nutrient dense. Lamb is a good source of riboflavin, vitamin B12, niacin, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus.

Red meats

In general, red meats are a good source of iron, B-vitamins and protein, says Roxanne Mason, dietician with St. John's Hospital.

One problem is people overeat.

A serving of red meat should be 3-4 ounces (a small steak at a steakhouse is 6-8 ounces), Mason says.
The American Institute of Cancer Research recommends no more than 18 ounces of red, cooked meat per week, says Tammy Roberts, nutrition and health education specialist in the University of Missouri Extension offices in Barton County.

The American Heart Association recommends lean cuts from the loin or round, Mason says.
Studies have shown red meat may increase the risk of colorectal cancer and heart disease, says Roberts.
One benefit to game meats is they are leaner, Roberts says.

"Lean is always better. One of the (potential causes of cancer) is possibly the saturated fats in it, so if you can get a leaner meat, maybe you are helping yourself. That is not well researched, but it is a theory," she says.
Regardless, people should not consume more than 30 percent of their calories from fat and no more than 10 percent of those calories should come from saturated fats.

"The truth of the matter is we have learned through cholesterol research is the more damaging thing is eating saturated fat," Roberts says.

Bison

Concerns over fat many be one of the thing fueling buffalo sales.
Demand for bison increased by double digits each year for the past four years, says Dave Carter, executive director of the National Bison Association.

"Last year we hit an all-time high in terms of animals processed, we hit 54,000 animals," Carter says.
That figure is up 39 percent over two years.

Skip Sayers, owner SayersBrook Bison Ranch and American Gourmet in Potosi, has seen this increase first hand. He began raising bison in 1976 with three animals, and now has 1,000 head.

"Sales are soaring because of health concerns (obesity rates continue to increase year after year in America), but beyond the first purchase, consumers become routine customers due to the downright goodness and flavor of the product," Sayers said via e-mail responding while traveling in Italy.

The popularity of bison is benefiting from several trends. First, people are more concerned about nutrition and recognize bison is lean, he says.

Second, there is a move towards sustainable and natural food and "there is nothing more natural than bison. We live in the midst of ecosystem that evolved from bison grazing. It's illegal to use growth hormones on bison. Our industry discourages the use of antibiotics," Carter says.

Third, there is the "foodie" movement, where people are experimenting with different foods.

Sayers echoed this, saying more restaurant offer bison burgers and more consumers are cooking it at home, too.

Many Mama Jean's Natural Market customers buy it because they like the taste, know it's lean, and like the way it's raised, says Belt.

While meats like bison are increasing in popularity, Carter says they are not trying to compete with beef.
"We don't see ourselves as the next beef, we see ourselves as bison," Carter says.

Where can you buy specialty meats?

• Mama Jean's Natural Markets, 1727 S. Campbell Ave., 831-5229, or 1110 E. Republic Road, sell buffalo. 881-5326.
• Akin's Natural Foods Market, 1344 E. Battlefield Road, sells buffalo. 887-5985.
• Harter House Supermarket, 1500 E. Republic Road, sells lamb and buffalo. 886-4410.
• Price Cutter Plus, 2021 W. Republic Road, sells ground buffalo in freezer section; lamb in meat department. 888-0466.
• Wal-Mart Supercenter, 2021 E. Independence St., sells lamb. 886-8209.
• Dillons, 1260 St. Louis St., sells buffalo and lamb. 895-3107.
• Buy venison or elk online: http://www.elkusa.com/Venison.htm
• Sayersbrook Bison Ranch sells bison, venison, elk, ostrich and other exotic meats: www.americangourmet.net
• For a variety of exotic meats: http://www.exoticmeatsandmore.com/about-us.aspx
• Want to hunt deer? http://www.jrvwhitetails.com/contactus.html
• Want a Bison burger? There may be others, but we know these restaurants have bison burgers:
  • Fuddruckers
  • Ruby Tuesday

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.

 

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